RWBY: A Neo Outlook on Life
by Novandalis
Summary: After Roman's arrest at the end of RWBY Volume 2, Cinder doesn't take kindly to Neo's failure to protect him, and sends her to the street. Now Neo has nowhere to go, but it's not long before an amazing opportunity is presented to her, and she's more than willing to take it. But will her past and inner demons keep her from the life she wants? Rated M for violence, language and smut.
1. Chapter 1: A Change of Heart

**Hi everyone! I'll start out by saying this is my first story, so any and all input is appreciated! If you've got something you'd like to say, please review! I welcome your critiques to make the story better as I keep writing. If you enjoy it, then please favourite/follow!**

**Update: The most common critique I've gotten is a lack of conflict in this chapter. Don't worry, there's plenty of conflict in the next few chapters, and a lot more to come. This is more of an introduction to let you see if you like my writing style and where the story is heading. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: A Change of Heart

The city of Vale quickly returned to normal only a few days following the events leading to Roman's arrest. Thanks to the efforts of teams RWBY, JNPR and CFVY, it was as if nothing had ever happened. People roamed the streets with their usual hurry, expect for one lonely girl, who wandered the streets for no reason other than she had nowhere to go.

It was particularly windy today, constantly blowing the girl's pink and brown hair into her face, where it stuck to her tear strained cheeks. Her right arm was in a sling, and her left held her umbrella as she continued to meander down the sidewalks.

In her mind, she kept replaying the events of the previous day in the hope that somehow it would take her back there. Cinder hadn't taken lightly to her letting Yang survive their fight on the train, and blamed her for the plan's premature execution, failure and Roman's arrest. Their argument became a physical fight, ending with Cinder nearly killing Neo, injuring her arm, and expelling her from the organisation.

'_What do I do now?_' she thought. _'This is all I've ever known... I have nowhere else to go, no one to turn to..._'

Another tear welled in her eye at the thought of being completely alone now. She turned her gaze to the ground and continued to walk, replaying the memory once again.

Neo was brought out of her thoughts when she collided with a girl walking the opposite way, the force nearly sending the small girl on her back.

"Hey, watch where you're walking!" shouted an irritated, yet eerily familiar voice.

Neo kept her eyes on the sidewalk, "Sorry miss."

She hurried off to avoid anymore attention, but the girl called out to her again.

"Hey wait, you're that girl from the train!" Neo froze as she put a face to the voice, and slowly spun around to see a furious Yang, with Blake by her side.

'_Oh shit, I need to leave now!_' she thought in a panic, and took off sprinting down a nearby alley.

"Come back here!" Yang yelled after her, giving chase along with her partner.

Neo was in no condition to fight anyone, let alone the pair she was up against, and continued to dash through the narrow pathways in search of somewhere to hide.

She turned to look back at her pursuers as she rounded a corner, and was immediately met by a chain link fence when she faced forward again. She ran into it full force, knocking her to the ground just as Blake and Yang arrived to corner her.

"Not so tough now are you?" Yang said. A wicked smile formed after seeing the look of fear in Neo's eyes.

"Wait, I can explain!" Neo said, backing up against the fence as the blonde slowly walked towards her.

Yang smirked, "I don't really wanna hear it. Last time we met, you tried to kill me, just returning the favour." The brawler's eyes glowed red as she armed her gauntlets. Neo stood up, her back still against the fence, and desperately looked to Blake to stop her partner. The Faunus only glared back, not making any effort to intervene. Yang pulled her arm back for a punch, and Neo covered her face with her uninjured arm.

"No, please! I don't work for them anymore!" she cried out and shut her eyes. She braced herself for the blow, but to her surprise it never came. Either that or dying wasn't as painful as she'd thought it would be.

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and lowered her arm, and saw Yang with a sceptical look on her face, and her arm still poised to strike.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, lowering her arm. Blake walked over with the same sceptical look as her partner, and Neo started to explain.

"After Roman was arrested, I was blamed for the train leaving early because I didn't protect him well enough," she said, and then gestured to her injured arm. "We got into an argument, then it got physical, and... now I'm on my own." Neo's gaze turned to the ground again. "I've got nothing..."

Yang was still suspicious, but Blake's face had softened after hearing the girl's tale. Yang went to speak, but Blake's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"I think she's telling the truth," Blake said. Yang turned to her with a bit of shock.

"You'd believe her that easily?" Yang replied.

"I don't think she'd be casually strolling through Vale if she wasn't. But, we can find out for sure if you'd like."

"How?" Yang asked. Blake's turned back to Neo, who'd sat back down on the ground, once again on the verge of crying.

"Who blamed you?" Blake asked.

Neo looked up confused, "What?"

"You said someone blamed you, and did that to your arm. Who was it?" Blake repeated.

Neo returned to her feet, "Her name is Cinder. She raised me since I was little." Blake turned to Yang with a smug grin.

"I don't think she'd admit that if she were lying," she said, and Yang shrugged.

"I'm still not convinced," Yang replied, and turned back to Neo. "Where were you walking to?"

Neo shook her head, "Nowhere I guess, I don't really know what to do now."

"Well, what do you want to do?" Blake asked, catching Neo by surprise.

"I... Well... I don't know. I've never not had someone giving me orders."

Blake shared a look with Yang, and Yang gave an exasperated sigh.

"You can't be serious?" Yang asked, crossing her arms.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Yang. I wouldn't be here if that weren't true," Blake replied, and Yang admitted defeat, though not happily.

"Fine. But if anything happens, it's on you."

Blake rolled her eyes and looked back at Neo.

"Why don't you come back to Beacon with us? I'm sure Professor Ozpin will know what to do," Blake said.

Neo was shocked, "Really? You'd do that?" Blake nodded, and Neo wiped her eyes. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Maybe thank you?" Yang interjected, earning a scowl from her partner. Neo smiled, and her cheeks turned red.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Neo said happily.

Blake smiled back, "Come on, let's get going."

The three left the alley and started back toward Beacon, Neo still in shock at Blake's generosity.

_'I can't believe she'd be so nice to me. I haven't done anything that would make them inclined at all to believe me. I guess that's why the blonde wasn't as willing to listen,'_ she thought, then frowned. _'What did they say her name was?_'

"So... What're you names?" Neo asked. The girls laughed, realising they'd never been properly introduced.

"I'm Blake, this is my partner, Yang," Blake said, and Yang gave a wave. "What about you? It's starts with an 'N' right?"

Neo nodded, "My name's Neapolitan, but I go by Neo. What about the rest of your team?"

"Ruby and Weiss," Yang answered somewhat dryly. "You can probably guess which is which."

Neo chuckled, and looked up at Yang.

"I'm sorry about our last encounter, Yang. I hope there aren't any hard feelings?" Neo asked hesitantly. Yang thought for a moment.

"If you're leaving the rest of your past behind, then I suppose I can leave that behind too," Yang said, and Neo breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you promise it won't happen again."

"I promise," Neo giggled.

They continued toward Beacon, acquainting Neo with the city and the school. She was still surprised at how friendly the two were being, but was relieved that she was being accepted. They finally arrived at Beacon, and Neo couldn't help but be in awe of the school.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Yang asked, and Neo nodded. Before she could say anything, a very energetic voice called out from behind them.

"Hey guys! What've you been up to?" They turned around as Nora skipped up to meet them, followed by a panting Ren.

"Oh, hey Nora," Blake answered. "We just got back from town. What about you?"

"We went for a jog," she answered cheerfully.

Ren rolled his eyes, "Nora, that was almost a half marathon."

She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to the girls.

"He's just being a baby. So who's your friend?" Nora asked.

"This is Neo. She's um... Visiting from outside the kingdom," Yang replied. "Neo, this is Nora and Ren."

Neo gave a shy smile, "It's nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you too!" Nora said, excitedly shaking Neo's hand. Ren was much calmer, giving a simple nod. "Well, we'd better finish our jog. See ya later guys!"

"We're not done yet?!" Ren shouted as Nora ran off, and sprinted after her. Yang giggled and looked at Blake.

"Still don't think they'll be a couple?" she asked.

Blake laughed, "Oh please, she'd kill Ren in a week if they were."

"Why do say that?" Yang asked. Blake raised her eyebrows a few times and the blonde caught on to her meaning. "Ohhhh. Yeah, I can see that."

Blake rolled her eyes, "Anyway, let's get to Ozpin's office. It's in this building over here."

They finally arrived at Ozpin's office, and Yang knocked on the door.

"Come in," echoed a voice from inside. They opened the door and found the professor gazing out over the kingdom.

"Good afternoon professor," Blake said.

"Afternoon," he replied, turning to that girls and taking a sip from his coffee mug. "What brings the three of you by?"

"Well..." Yang started, but wasn't sure how to proceed.

Ozpin smiled, "Perhaps introductions would help to start us off."

Neo nervously twiddled her thumbs, "My name's Neapolitan, but you can call me Neo."

"Pleased to meet you Neo. I'm Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon. What brings you to my school?" he asked, taking a seat at his desk.

Neo looked at the ground, "I, um... Well... I-"

Yang interrupted, "She's the girl I told you about, the one I fought on the train."

Neo's eyes widened at the statement, and she looked up at Ozpin. His expression didn't change, and he looked to Neo for confirmation. She nodded, and he turned back to Yang.

"Interesting," he replied. "I'm assuming since you've come to me and not the police, you have something else in mind than turning her in?"

The Yang nodded, and Neo explained to Ozpin the same way she had before, the headmaster maintaining the same expression throughout.

Neo finished her story and sighed, "Blake said you might be able to help."

"Perhaps. What is it you're looking to do now?" he asked.

"I... I don't know. I was really only raised to fight. I haven't had much experience out in the world."

Ozpin smiled, "Well, there are careers that utilize that skill on the battlefield. I hear there are entire schools dedicated to training children like you to for combat."

Neo was stunned. Not only by what the professor was suggesting, but more that he didn't even react to her background.

'_Is he serious? No, he can't be, right? Why would he be so trusting of someone like me?_'

Ozpin continued, "If you've truly left your previous affiliation behind, and are willing to dedicate your life to defending this kingdom, then I'd be more than willing to offer you a place here at this academy."

Neo's jaw hit the floor, "I... I would be honoured, sir. But, why are you so quick to offer something like that to someone like me?"

"If what Miss Xiao-Long has told me about you is correct, then I know you've more than proven your skill in combat to pass our entrance exams. And, if you've earned her trust after your last encounter, then I'm willing to extend that same trust to you."

Neo was happy beyond words, and couldn't stop a huge smile forming across her lips.

"Thank you, thank you professor," she said, and he smiled back.

"But, know that I will be keeping an eye on you, just as a precaution," he said, and Neo nodded. "I suppose I have some paperwork to put through to have you officially enrolled. For now, you'll tag along as a member of team RWBY until other arrangements can be made. Miss Belladona, Miss Xiao-Long, see to it she has everything she'll need for her time here."

The two nodded, and Ozpin took another drink from his cup.

"Come on Neo, let's introduce you to the rest of the team. Properly this time," Yang said cheerfully.

"Sounds great," Neo replied, and turned back to Ozpin. "Thank you professor, I promise I won't disappoint you."

He smiled, "I trust you won't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

The three girls nodded and departed, heading back to their dorm.

"Do you think the rest of your team will be as accepting of me?" Neo asked.

Blake laughed, "I know Ruby will be, it's Weiss I'd worry about."

"Yeah, but she's... Decent once she warms up to you," Yang added, and Neo smiled.

'_I never would've guessed something like this would happen. I really don't deserve this, not after all I've done,' _she thought. _'If they're going to give me this opportunity, I'm sure as hell not going to waste it. I have a chance to turn my life again, and I'm going to. Look out Remnant, here comes a brand new Neo._'


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Team

**Hello again! If you're wondering why the this chapter came so quick, it's because I wrote the first couple chapters before I posted the first one, so the next few will be posted once I'm done editing and proofreading. After that, updates will probably be done weekly. I'm happy to see so many people enjoyed the first chapter, so here's hoping chapter two gets the same results! :)**

Chapter 2: Meeting the Team

Before the girl's reached their dorm, they passed the infirmary building, and Yang suggested they go inside to have Neo's arm looked at. Neo was a little hesitant, having never been to a proper doctor, but eventually gave in. Yang went up to the counter to get the required paperwork while Neo and Blake took a seat in the waiting room. Blake noticed Neo's fingers tapping nervously, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nervous?" Blake asked. Neo flinched at the contact.

"I guess. I've never been to an actual hospital before."

Blake gave a comforting smile, "Relax, there's nothing to worry about." Neo smiled back, but continued to tap her fingers.

"Okay, you're all set!" Yang announced, taking a set next to Blake. "The doctor should be out soon. Oh, and if they ask if you're a student, say yes, and that you're on team NEWT."

Neo laughed, "Well thanks for making me the leader, but that's the best name you could come up with?"

Yang just shrugged and they shared a laugh. They didn't wait long, only minutes later a tall woman with a white coat and a clipboard came into the room.

"Neapolitan?" she inquired, and Neo stood up. "I'm Dr. Fields, please follow me and we'll take a look at that arm."

"Can my friends come back too?" Neo asked nervously.

"Of course."

"Actually, I think I'll wait out here," Blake said, picking up a magazine from the table. "I hate the smell of hospital rooms."

Yang rolled her eyes, "Suit yourself. Come on Neo."

They followed the doctor back to an examining room, and Neo took a seat up on the table. After a few questions and what Neo felt was a little too much poking of her arm, the doctor reached a conclusion.

"Looks like a minor dislocation. It's as simple as popping it back in and you'll feel as good as new," she said with a smile. Neo, however, didn't look as happy.

"How do you pop it back in?" she asked.

The doctor gave Yang a look, and the blonde moved to Neo's left, taking her hand.

"Just close your eyes and squeeze my hand," Yang said, and Neo complied without question.

"Okay, ready?" the doctor asked, taking a firm grip on either side of Neo's elbow. Neo nodded, squeezing Yang's hand a little tighter. "Alright. Three... Two... One..."

Neo felt a sharp pain and a pop, followed by a very relaxed feeling in her arm.

"There, that wasn't too bad was it?" Yang asked, patting Neo on the back. Neo flexed her arm and smiled.

"You're right, good as new," she said. They returned to the front to pick up Blake, and resumed the walk back to their room.

"Ready to meet the team?" Blake asked as they approached the dorm building.

"I'm ready to meet them, I'm just afraid of how ready they are to meet me," she answered.

"Trust me, it'll be fine," Yang said as she opened the doors. Neo didn't believe her fit a second, but the blonde's positive attitude at least seemed to help. They ascended a few flights of stairs and finally arrived at their door.

'_Alright, here we go..._' Neo thought anxiously.

"Here we are! Team RWBY headquarters!" Yang cheered. Before Neo could respond, the door swung open and a bubbly Ruby stood to greet them.

"Hey guys! You'll never guess what-" Ruby stopped mid sentence when she caught sight of Neo. Her smile was instantly replaced with a look of alarm and confusion.

Yang put her arms out and took a step toward her sister, "Ruby, before you say anything, let me explain-"

"What's she doing here?!" Ruby exclaimed, pulling Crescent Rose to her side.

Hearing Ruby shout, Weiss ran up behind her leader to see what the commotion was about, and froze when she saw Neo.

Blake walked in between them and Neo, "Please listen before you freak out. She's not with Roman anymore!"

"Why would you bring her here!?" the heiress shrieked. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

Neo shrank back at Weiss' outburst. She knew this was how they'd react, but she had still been hopeful they would act like the other half of their team. Ruby held her weapon at the ready as Weiss drew Myrtenaster. Neo flinched, not out of fear of the weapons, but of herself. Back in the alley, she couldn't fight back, and so her other side couldn't come out. But now she felt it coming to the surface as a confrontation seemed imminent.

'_Calm down, calm down, this can't happen now,_' she thought in a panic. She focused as hard as she could on keeping her other personality at bay, and breathed a sigh of relief as she finally succeed.

"It's not what you think," Yang said, trying to calm her teammates down. "She's changed, she's on our side now."

Weiss wasn't convinced, "Of course she'd say that now! Roman's in jail and she doesn't want to follow him! How stupid can you-"

Weiss was interrupted by Ruby, who had yet to take her eyes off Neo.

"Hold on Weiss. I want to hear what she has to say." Neo stepped out from behind Blake, and looked Ruby in the eye. "Why are you here?"

Neo started from the beginning, explaining what happened to her after their last encounter on the train, her running into Yang and Blake in town, and the meeting they just had with professor Ozpin. As she finished, Ruby had grown inclined to believe her, but Weiss was still just as suspicious as ever.

"Well... If Yang and Ozpin trust you, then so do I. Welcome aboard!" Ruby cheered, rushing forward to give her new teammate a hug. Weiss, however, was appalled.

"WHAT!? You can't be serious! He just let you in!? No fact checking, no investigation... No entrance exams!? That's outrageous! And Ruby, you'd believe her just like that?"

Blake sighed, "Weiss, please don't be this way."

"This is ridiculous! I'm going to the police right now and ending this before something happens!"

"Weiss Schnee, don't you dare leave this room!" Ruby shouted, and Weiss turned to her leader with a look of shock.

"Weiss...?" Neo ventured quietly, and all heads turned to her. "Weiss, I don't expect you to trust me given my history. I haven't earned it. To be honest, I'm amazed your teammates trusted me enough to bring me to Ozpin, and that he offered to let me stay here. I know you don't believe me, but I have changed. I've been given this opportunity to turn my life around, and I'm going to take it. Please, give me the chance to prove to you that I'm telling the truth. If you give me a chance, I promise in time I'll earn your trust."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. Now all eyes were on her, and she admitted defeat.

"Fine. I'll respect my team and headmaster's judgement, and I'll give you a chance," Weiss said, and Neo smiled. "But, I'll be keeping my eye on you."

"Thank you," Neo replied. She wanted to the give the heiress the same hug the crimson leader had given her, but decided it was probably not the best idea. Instead, she settled on a handshake.

Ruby smiled, "Well, come inside! I still haven't told you the news!"

"What news is that?" Blake asked as they walked into the room.

Weiss groaned, "Let it go, Ruby." Blake raised an eyebrow at the response, and Yang grinned.

"Oooo I know what this gonna be!" the blonde said excitedly and hopped up onto her bed.

"What? How?" Weiss asked.

"Let's call it a hunch," the blonde replied. Blake and Neo turned to Ruby, eager to hear the news.

"Weiss has a date with Neptune next weekend!" the redhead exclaimed with a giggle.

"Ruby! I told you not to make a big deal about it!" Weiss snapped, glaring at her leader. Ruby shrugged and leapt up to her bunk.

"So who asked who?" Yang asked.

Weiss sighed, "You mean 'Who asked whom?', and he asked me if you must know."

"Who's Neptune?" Neo asked.

Blake grabbed her scroll off the desk and pulled up a picture of him, then handed it Neo, who shrugged. "Eh, not a fan of his hair."

Yang chuckled, "I don't think you have room to talk about weird hair." Neo suck her tongue out at Yang, who pretended to faint in offense.

"Whatever," Weiss said, seeing the opportunity to change the subject. "So... If Neo's staying here, where is she going to sleep?"

"Um..." Yang started, but didn't have an answer. The girls looked at each other and around the room for a few moments before she had an idea. "I guess she can take my bed for tonight. Rubes, you mind if I bunk with you? We can get another bed in here tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me!" Ruby said from her perch.

"Are you sure?" Neo asked. "I don't want to be in the way."

Yang smiled and turned to Ruby, "Of course! It'll be like when we were kids!"

"Well now that that's settled, I don't know about all of you, but I could use some dinner," Blake chimed in.

'_Dinner already?_' Neo thought and looked outside, surprised to see that it was already getting dark.

"Sounds good to me!" Yang agreed. The others quickly agreed as well and they headed off to the dining hall.

Along the way they ran into team JNPR, who were also headed to dinner. They walked together, and Ruby introduced Neo to the Jaune and Pyrrha. Somehow in the midst of introductions Yang brought up the food fight from the start of the semester, sparking a very heated debate on who bested whom. Neo just listened and laughed.

'_Wow, I wish I had been here for that,_' she thought, smiling to herself. '_I think I'm really going to like it here._'

They arrived at the dining hall with Nora the victor of the argument, though only because team RWBY felt another food fight would ensue if she wasn't. Not that Neo would have been opposed.

As they entered, team CRDL passed on their way out, and Cardin took notice of of the new addition to team RWBY.

"Whoa, who's the new girl with the freak eyes? What happened, your mom fuck an ice cream cone?" Cardin taunted, getting a laugh from the rest of his team. Neo glared up at the tall boy, easily a foot and a half taller than she was. She took a step forward, but luckily Yang jumped between the two.

"Lay off Cardin, don't you have a box of puppies to go kick around?" the blonde said angrily, a hint of red in her eyes.

Cardin laughed, "Whatever, let's go guys. We can get to know our new friend better later."

With that, he and his team left the hall, leaving Yang and the rest of the group fuming.

"I swear, one of these days I'm gonna snap and kill him," Yang growled.

Neo suppressed a laugh, "Well that was my plan until you stepped in."

"Just ignore him," Blake said sympathetically. "He's not worth it. Come on, let's have a nice dinner."

Blake was right, and they got in line at the buffet, the smell of all the food instantly reminded Neo of how hungry she as. She loaded her tray until she almost couldn't carry it. She set it down with a thud at the table, turning all heads to her.

"What?" she asked innocently. "I haven't eaten today."

"There's no way you'll finish all that!" Jaune said, receiving several nods of agreement. Neo put her hands on her hips.

"Wanna bet?" she asked, a mischievous grin forming on her lips.

Jaune smirked, "You're on. What's the wager?"

Neo stopped and thought for a moment, but Nora interjected before she could think of anything.

"I know!" Nora announced, slamming her hand on the table. "The loser... Has to eat the Deathstalker Chilli at the end of the buffet!"

'_Deathstalker Chilli?_' Neo thought. _'They make chilli out of those things? Or is it just a name? I know I'm gonna regret asking..._'

"What's Deathstalker Chilli?" Neo asked worriedly.

"Don't worry," Yang laughed. "It's not actually made from Deathstalkers. It's just spicy as hell. They use those Grimm peppers from Vacuo to make it."

Neo and Jaune exchanged a nervous glace.

"What's the matter? To chicken?" Nora mocked, flapping her arms. Neo glared at her and extended her hand to Jaune.

"Let's do it," she said. Jaune was a little hesitant, but shook her hand.

"It's a bet. I don't know why I'm worried, I won't be the one eating it," he said slyly. Neo laughed and dug into her dinner, starting with a hefty bowl of pasta.

"So did you guys finish the essay for Professor Port's class tomorrow?" Jaune asked, receiving black stares from team RWBY. "I'll take that as a no."

"Think he'll expect me to have it done?" Neo asked between bites.

Pyrrha laughed, "Probably not."

"He'd have to stop regaling us with his stories to collect them anyway," Blake added, getting a laugh from the rest of the table.

"Well I guess that answers what we'll be doing tonight," Yang pouted.

Ruby chuckled, "Oh cheer up, it's only two pages on Grimm migration. We can knock it out in an hour."

"There's no way we can do that in an hour!"

"If we have Weiss we can!" Ruby said and looked at the heiress with her puppy dog eyes.

Weiss groaned, "Ugh... Fine. But you owe me!"

"Yay! Thank you Weiss!" Ruby cheered, pulling her in for hug.

"Get off me you dolt!" she protested, but couldn't resist he leader's iron grip. The rest of the table couldn't help but laugh at Weiss' discomfort.

"So how's your dinner, Neo?" Jaune asked, turning to the new girl. To his, and the rest of the table's surprise, she was over halfway done with her tray. She'd polished off the pasta, three slices of pizza, and was almost done with a double cheeseburger.

"It's delicious," Neo answered as she put the last bite of the burger in her mouth. Nora laughed and elbowed Jaune to get his attention.

"How's that chilli tasting, Jaune?" she asked. He shrugged, his face showing a little more worry than before.

"How can you eat so much and stay so small?" Pyrrha asked incredulously.

Neo shrugged, "I dunno, I guess I'm just lucky."

She picked up a turkey leg and dove in, and could start to feel her stomach reaching its limit.

'_Uh oh_,' she thought, and looked at the rest of her tray: Three tacos and a piece of chocolate cake were all that stood between her and winning the bet, but her stomach was having other ideas. '_I'm either gonna finish strong or with just bites left. I'm hoping for the former, I don't think that chilli would sit well with all this._'

As if Nora could hear Neo's thoughts, she got up and brought back a bowl of the scorching dish and set it between Neo and Jaune.

"Just some motivation," Nora cackled, and Jaune grimaced.

'_Alright, you can do this,_' Neo thought, and scarfed down the tacos.

She picked up her fork and set the cake in from of her. It wasn't a huge slice, but to her it felt like the whole cake. She took a deep breath and tore in, and her teammates rallied behind her, cheering her name. Neo paused to take a drink with three bites still on the plate, feeling as if she could explode at any minute.

"Come on Neo, you can do it!" Ruby cheered.

"Just a few more bites, you got this!" Yang added.

Neo stared at the plate, ready to admit defeat.

'_No, that's it,_' she thought, having admitted defeat in her head. '_There's no way I can-_' Her thoughts were interrupted by a cocky Jaune.

"Ready to give up?" he asked, pushing the bowl of chilli toward her.

"Not quiet yet," she replied, narrowing her eyes. With a bit of renewed strength, she powered through and finished the cake, earning a chorus of hoorays from her team, and leaving team JNPR open mouthed at her accomplishment. She let out a loud burp and turned to Jaune.

"Eat up, Jaune," she grinned as she pushed the bowl back to him. Jaune was white as a ghost at this point, but he wasn't about to chicken out. With a loud gulp he put a spoonful into his mouth and everyone leaned in, eagerly awaiting his reaction. His face turned as red as Ruby's cloak, and with a gasp he finished every cold drink at the table.

Both teams burst into laughter as Jaune desperately tried to find something to extinguish the fire raging in his mouth. Nora ran and got two ice cream cones, offering one to Jaune. He snatched it from her and began licking it furiously.

Yang leaned over to Blake and whispered something to get in a low voice. Neo couldn't make out the whole comment, but heard something about Pyrrha being a lucky girl. Blake giggled, and Neo did her best to act as if she hasn't heard.

"Hey Neo, want some ice cream?" Nora offered, extending a cone toward her.

"No, thanks, I'm already too full," Neo replied. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw the flavour that Nora had brought her. "Also, believe it or not, I'm not a fan of Neapolitan ice cream."

Nora laughed back, "If you say so."

The two teams continued eating, with Neo growing more and more comfortable joining in on their conversations. As their meal came to an end, she felt like she'd successfully made seven new friends. And an icy acquaintance.

"Well, it's getting kinda late," Blake said after checking the time on her scroll. "We should really get to work on that essay."

The rest of her team agreed, and they returned to their dorm after saying goodbye to JNPR. While the rest of the team got to work on their papers, Neo got ready for bed. Ruby was nice enough to let her borrow a pair of pajamas, promising to take her shopping after classes tomorrow. Neo climbed up into Yang's bed, and wrapped herself up in the blankets like a burrito.

'_That was a lot of fun, despite the food baby,_' she thought, patting her stomach. '_And that Cardin kid is a total dick, but Blake's right, I just need to ignore him. No need for getting into trouble this early. I never thought I'd be so accepted here, or anywhere for that matter, let alone make this many friends so quickly. If this is any sign of what the future has in store for me, then I can't wait._'

Neo smiled to herself and drifted off to sleep, eager to start the first full day of her new life.

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always please leave your feedback if you have something you'd like to say, and follow for more! The chilli bet came a bet I had with my friends earlier this month, although I was not able to finish the cake, and the ghost pepper chilli tasted like lava. Next chapter will be Neo's first day of classes, and will explain more about her split personality that was mentioned earlier. Anyway, I'll get back to writing, see ya next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: First Day of School

Chapter 3: First Day of School

Daylight shone into team RWBY's dorm on Neo's first day of class, but she was still fast asleep. If left alone she likely would've slept up through lunch, but her eager leader had other plans. The girls were jolted awake by the ear splitting sound of Ruby's whistle. Neo nearly flew off the bed at the noise, completely caught off guard. Blake rubbed her eyes with an irritated expression, while Weiss and Yang glared at the caped girl.

"Damn it Ruby, I told you not to use that whistle anymore!" Weiss shouted.

Ruby shrugged, "Sorry, guess I forgot."

Weiss sighed angrily and flopped back onto her bed. Ruby frowned at her team's lack of enthusiasm until a cheerful Neo hopped down from her bunk.

"Morning Ruby! What classes do we have today?" Neo asked with a smile.

"Um, let's see... Today we have Oobleck's class in about an hour, then Professor Port's lecture, and then combat training with Professor Goodwitch."

"Cool! I guess I'll grab first shower," Neo said, seeing how no one else was out of bed yet, and Ruby was already dressed. She grabbed her new uniform that Blake has been nice enough to get for her and headed for the bathroom. She shut the door and undressed, turning on the water as she finished.

'_Alright, first day of class,_' she thought as she stepped into the shower. The hot water cascaded off her body, taking with it her remaining fears for her first day. '_I can survive lectures, just gotta zone out like when Roman would rattle on about the White Fang. Combat training will be a nice break, I just have to make sure I don't go too crazy. It'll be nice to fight these guys for fun. Maybe we'll do partner stuff, that'd be awesome! I could get paired with Weiss, maybe fighting together could get her to start trusting me._'

Neo kept her shower short, not knowing how long the other girls would take. She got dressed, fixed her hair and moved to open the door, but stopped with her hand on the handle when she heard Weiss and Yang arguing outside. Gently, she cracked the door to see what was happening.

Yang had her hands on her hips, glaring at Weiss. The heiress sat on her bed, arms crossed, glaring back. Ruby and Blake stood beside Yang, both looking angry at Weiss.

"Weiss, if she wanted to do something to us she'd have already done it while we were asleep," Yang said, and Neo felt her anxiety come back.

'_Shit, I guess I should've known this would happen,_' Neo thought sadly. 'I_ get that she doesn't like me, but why does she keep instigating? I haven't done anything to her directly, not even when I was still with Roman. If she keeps acting like this I'll never get my chance to prove myself to her. Although I'm starting to think it wouldn't be much of a loss if I didn't._'

Weiss huffed, "How do you know she didn't?"

"Um, maybe because we're all still alive?" Yang snapped back. Ruby looked uneasy.

"Guys, please stop," their leader begged. "It's not good for us to fight like this. Weiss, you said you'd give her a chance. If you keep acting like this, then she'll never get one."

"Why should I give her a chance?" Weiss exclaimed. "Maybe she's not here to kill us. Maybe she's here to watch everyone fight so she can report all of our strategies back to the White Fang!"

Blake had been standing quietly until then, but now she'd had enough.

"GOD DAMN IT, WEISS! SHUT UP!" the Faunus screamed. "Yes, she doesn't exactly have the cleanest history. And yes, we don't have any outstanding reasons to trust her. But you know what? When you found out about my past last semester, you thought the same things about me. And I remember you saying that you didn't it didn't matter as long as I wasn't a part of the White Fang anymore. What makes Neo any different?"

Weiss went to respond, but hesitated. Neo felt a few tears welling in her eyes and decided now would be a good time to end the argument.

"Everything alright out here?" she asked timidly, fully opening the door.

Blake smiled, "Yeah, everything's fine." She shot a Weiss a look, and the heiress nodded.

"Dibs on next shower!" Yang said, snatching her clothes off the dresser and rushing into the bathroom before anyone could argue.

The room was silent for a few minutes. Neo glanced over at Weiss, who was looking very conflicted, and couldn't help but feel bad.

_'It's not her fault. None of them should be trusting me like they are. I haven't done anything to earn it._'

The silence continued until Blake decided it was starting to become awkward.

"So Neo," Blake said. "Do you need anything else before class?"

Neo thought for a moment, smiling at how friendly Blake continued to be.

"Um... I guess I'll need a notebook or something," Neo responded.

"I think Weiss has a few extra ones," Ruby chimed in. "Maybe she could give you one."

The girls turned to Weiss, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I, uh... Yeah, I think I have some extras," the heiress said, reaching into a desk drawer. She pulled out a medium sized binder and tossed it to Neo. "Here."

Neo caught it and smiled, "Thanks."

"No problem," Weiss replied, giving a small smile in return.

Yang emerged from the bathroom and Weiss took her place, followed after by Blake. Once she was dressed, the team headed for Dr. Oobleck's classroom. Neo quickly found she wasn't a fan of school uniforms, fidgeting with her blouse for the length of the walk, much to Yang and Ruby's amusement. They arrived a few minutes before the bell rang and sat near the back of the hall. Neo sat with Ruby on her left and Blake to her right, Yang and Weiss sitting beside them respectively.

"So what's today's lecture on?" Neo asked.

"Post-war Vacuo," Yang responded, sounding less than enthusiastic. Ruby groaned and put her head on her desk, covering it with her notebook. Neo laughed and turned to Blake.

"What's the professor like?" she asked.

"He's an... interesting person. He was with us on the train, you might've seen him then. Only thing is he's just a little-" Blake was interrupted as Oobleck rushed into the room in a blur, stopping at his desk to take a drink from with thermos.

"Good morning children we're gong to get started right away with today's lesson on post-war Vacuo right away! Please open your textbooks to page one hundred three and follow along!" Oobleck rattled off, moving around the front of the room and writing incomprehensible lines on the chalkboard.

"Hyper..." Blake finished, and the girls all laughed.

The lecture began and within minutes the members of team RWBY assumed their usual roles: Ruby asleep at her desk, Yang daydreaming, Blake listening off and on and occasionally writing something down, and Weiss furiously taking notes. Neo was writing with the same fervour as Weiss, eager to take in as much knowledge as she could. She occasionally glanced up at the rest of her team, each time saw Weiss looking over at her. The heiress was quick to look away every time she was caught, leaving Neo wondering what she was doing.

'_Why does she keep staring at me?_' she thought. '_I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? She doesn't look angry. What is it then?_'

The lecture wore on and eventually ended before she could answer her question, and the quintet headed to the dining hall for lunch. Again, they met up with JNPR and sat together. They got their lunches and sat down, and Nora was disappointed to see that Neo was eating a normal amount of food. Throughout the meal, Neo noticed Weiss continuing to stare at her, but this time decided to ignore it. Even so, it still made her uneasy.

'_I know she said she'd keep an eye on me, but I didn't think she meant literally! What does she even think I'd be doing while I'm with everyone?_' Neo thought, pushing food around her plate.

"Not hungry after last night?" Jaune joked.

"Huh? Oh, um, yeah, I guess," Neo stammered.

"You okay?" Ruby asked, sounding concerned.

Neo put on a smile, "Yeah, I'm fine."

The others weren't convinced, but didn't pry further. Lunch ended and the group moved to their next class, Neo making sure to sit next to Weiss in the hope that she wouldn't continue to stare at her. The lesson began, and Professor Port was almost instantly derailed and began a tangent about a hunting trip from his youth. It wasn't long before Neo decided to take after Ruby and set her head on the desk, but a slap on her shoulder prevented her from falling asleep.

"Get up!" Weiss snapped. "If you expect to succeed here this is not the way to do it. This is important stuff!"

Neo groaned and turned her attention back to the front of the room, in time to hear the professor explainint in detail the difference between crimson and scarlet. She turned back to Weiss with a smug look.

"You were saying?" she asked, and Weiss huffed.

"Okay, maybe not paying attention right now won't hurt you, but getting in the habit of it will."

'_Now she's trying to be helpful? What the hell is her deal?_' Neo thought.

She rolled her eyes, but decided Weiss was right. She kept her attention at the front of the room, glancing at Weiss every now and then, and was relieved to see the heiress wasn't constantly looking her way anymore. The bell finally rang and everyone rushed to leave the room and escape from the tortuous lecture.

"See? I told you he wouldn't correct the essays," Blake laughed, and the rest of her team laughed with her.

"So what do you think of classes so far?" Yang asked, turning to Neo.

"They're alright I guess. But I don't know how many I could sit through in a row, especially if they're all like that one," she answered.

"Well you're in luck then!" Ruby cheered. "Combat training is next!"

Neo smiled, "Sounds like fun. Hey Yang, maybe we'll get a rematch."

"Don't expect to win this time if we do," the blonde said with a grin.

The two went back and forth until they arrived at the arena and took their seats, joining back up with team JNPR. Professor Goodwitch walked to the center of the ring shortly after, looking down at her scroll.

"Alright students, today we'll be doing something a little different," she began. "Today we will be sparring in random pairs to test your ability to adapt to new partners and their fighting styles."

Neo surveyed the other students in the room, deciding in her head who she would and wouldn't want to be matched with. Her heart nearly stopped when she locked eyes with a familiar silver haired boy and green haired girl across the way.

'_Oh my God, what're they doing here?_' she thought in a panic. '_Did Cinder send them to finish me off? Make it look like a training accident?_'

Glynda continued, interrupting Neo's thoughts.

"Our first match: Russel Thrush and Jaune Arc, against Ruby Rose and Mercury Black."

The four students entered the arena and stood with their partners. Miss Goodwitch stepped outside the ring and waited a moment to let the fighters discuss their fighting styles.

"Ready... Begin!"

The match started, but Neo couldn't keep her attention on the fighters. Her gaze constantly wandered to Emerald, who stared back at her for the length of the match with a blank exclusion. A loud thud finally brought Neo's attention back to the arena, where Jaune and Russel where laying dazed on the ground.

"And that's the match! Excellent job," Goodwitch called out, stepping back into the ring. The fighters returned to their seats and Glynda turned back to her scroll. "Our next match: Cardin Winchester and Pyrrha Nikos, against Weiss Schnee and Neapolitan."

Neo turned to Weiss, who gave her an exasperated look.

'_Well... Looks like I get my wish,_' Neo thought sadly, and got up to join her partner in the arena.

"So... Is there anything I should know about your fighting style?" Neo asked, and Weiss shook her head.

"Just stay out of my way," she replied coldly. Neo sighed, and looked at her opponents.

'_Alright... Looks like I get my chance to kick Cardin's ass. He looks like a typical bruiser, nothing too much to worry about. Pyrrha on the other hand should be interesting, but I have a feeling Weiss will keep her occupied._'

Neo had been feeling down up to this point, but now her entire demeanour changed. She felt the change come over her and let it take hold, switching her from one personality to another. This was the Neo that Yang had fought on the train. She drew her umbrella and leaned on it, giving a cocky look to her opponents.

Her change in personality showed more than she thought, with the rest of her team as well as team JNPR taking notice. Pyrrha took a step back, shocked at the psychopathic smile staring back at her.

"Ready?" Professor Goodwitch asked, looking at both pairs. "Begin!"

Weiss and Cardin charged toward each other while Neo and Pyrrha stayed still, each analysing the other. Cardin swung overhead at Weiss, who gracefully parried, landing a blow to his midsection. He spun around, carrying the momentum from his first swing and took aim at Weiss' legs. She leapt back, Cardin's mace burying itself into the ground, and charged forward again. Cardin was prepared this time, pulling his mace up and landing a strong blow square to Weiss' chest. She was sent flying back toward her partner, landing a few feet to Neo's left.

Neo locked eyes with Cardin and slowly strutted toward him. Pyrrha moved forward to intervene, but hesitated, wanted to watch the girl fight before she engaged her. Cardin charged at Neo, swinging wildly, but she dodged each blow as if it took no effort at all, moving only slightly to one direction and letting the weapon pass fractions on an inch from her body. Cardin's attacks became more wild and aggressive as his anger grew at his inability to connect. Pyrrha ran to help her partner, but Weiss moved in on her before she had the chance, leaving Neo to take care of Cardin. She continued to avoid his assault, waiting for the opportune time to strike back.

Finally, she extended her umbrella, deflecting a blow aimed at her head, and struck out at Cardin's ribs with her other hand. He recoiled at the unexpected attack, and raised his weapon to retaliate. Before he could swing, Neo kicked at the side of his knee, knocking him off balance. She planted a series of blows across his head and chest, finally grabbing his arm and flinging him into the air.

At that moment, Weiss was also off the ground, having just dodged an attack from Pyrrha. Seeing Cardin behind her, she created a glyph at her feet and jumped from it to the falling bruiser, grappling him and slamming him into the ground with incredible force. Pyrrha now turned her attention to Neo, running toward her with her shield raised. Neo dodged the girls initial attacks, and began parrying the continued onslaught with her umbrella.

Neo suddenly found herself on the ground as Weiss collided with after being thrown by Cardin. The two rolled several yards before coming to a stop, getting back to their feet to see their opponents charging at them full force. Weiss raised Myrtenaster and prepared to meet them, but Neo put her arm out to stop her.

"Wait," Neo commanded. Weiss was hesitant, but held her stance as Pyrrha and Cardin drew closer.

Neo smirked and activated her semblance, moving her and Weiss to the opposite side of the arena and leaving an illusion of them behind. Cardin slashed at the illusion, shattering it and leaving him and his partner off balance and confused.

"Now," Neo said, and Weiss charged, creating a series of glyphs around her opponents.

Neo leapt forward as well, slamming into Pyrrha and sending her high into the air. Weiss unleashed a devastating assault on Cardin, dashing from glyph to glyph, also sending him flying. She gave a nod to Neo and the two launched up to continue the fight, each grabbing their opponent by the shoulders, spinning as they plummeted to the ground, simultaneously slamming them onto the floor, the thud echoing though the arena.

"And that's the match!" Glynda called out, moving toward the fighters. Neo was surprised that match was called so soon, but sure enough Cardin's aura had already dropped into the red. The adrenaline began to wear off and she began to revert to her normal self. She stood in an almost meditative state for a moment before she noticed Pyrrha approaching her.

"That was a good fight," the redhead said, holding her hand out to Neo. "I'd love to face you one on one."

Neo smiled and shook her hand, now fully from her second personality.

"Yeah, me too. Maybe next time," she replied, and turned to go to her seat.

"Hey!" Weiss called to her, and she spun to face the heiress. "That was... impressive. You're a good fighter."

Neo smiled, "Thanks, Weiss. That means a lot from you."

Weiss smiled back and the four returned to their seats.

"Hey, what happened at the start of the match?" Yang asked with a look of concern.

The rest of her team and team JNPR had been wondering the same thing, and leant in to hear an explanation.

"Well, you can see a lot of me is split," Neo said, gesturing to her face. "My hair colour, my eyes, and also my personality. Right now, you're talking to normal Neo. When things heat up, like in combat, I take on my other personality. When I make the transition, I become a psychopath. It's not easy to control, but I manage."

The group went silent, and Neo feared she shouldn't have said as much as she had.

Yang was the first to respond, "I guess that explains the Neo I fought on the train versus the one I found on the streets. Is it only a fight that triggers it?"

"No, any strong emotion can bring it on too." Neo continued. "I can usually keep it under control when it's from a positive emotion, but otherwise it can be difficult, especially when it's something like stress or anger."

"How do you switch back?" Pyrrha asked. "You looked like you do now when we spoke after the match."

Neo thought a moment, "Well, that really depends. If it's from a fight, once it's over I can change back right away. When it's from an emotion, it just takes time. How long depends on how strong the feeling was."

"Wow, that sounds... frightening," Blake said with a sympathetic look.

"What's her name?" Nora asked, turning all heads to her.

"What?" Neo asked confused.

"Does the other you have a name?"

Ren sighed and put his head in his hand, "Nora..."

Neo giggled, "No, no, it's fine. I guess not, I've never thought of it as another person but... I guess she is."

Nora's eyes lit up, "Then we should name her!"

"I take it you have something in mind?" Jaune laughed.

Nora shrugged and looked to the rest of the group for suggestions.

"How about Psycho?" Yang said, and Neo shook her head.

"Hmm... Gina? No wait, Debbie!" Nora cheered, earning another facepalm from her partner.

"I've got it: Beo," Blake suggested. "As in Beowolf."

"I like it," Neo smiled. "I'm sure she does too."

Weiss laughed, "I feel like Beo and Nora would get along really well."

Nora went to retort, but only shrugged, "Yeah, probably."

Everyone laughed and eventually returned their attention to the ring. Professor Goodwitch announced the next match, but Neo wasn't listening. Her attention had shifted to the white haired girl to her left.

'_Well, she wouldn't have made a joke about me yesterday,_' she thought happily. '_That's definitely progress. Maybe she's starting to warm up to me. I should see if we can hang out over the weekend, just the two of us. We can get to know each other more, that would help, I'm sure of it. Weiss Schnee, come tomorrow night, I'll finally be able to call you my friend._'

Class continued, with the teams of Yang and Emerald defeating Ren and Sky, Nora and Blake beating Dove and a boy Neo didn't recognise, and a several other matches of students she didn't know. After class ended, Neo noticed Mercury and Emerald making their way toward her as she and her team made the walk back to their room.

_'I guess I should see what they want, not point in drawing it out,_' she thought. _'I doubt they'd try to kill me right here, there're way too many people around. Actually, I don't think that would stop Mercury. Now I just need an excuse to stay behind.'_

She looked around and got idea when she eyed Ruby's backpack.

"Hey, I'll meet you guys back at the room," Neo said to her team. "I think I left my bag back in the stands."

"Okay, see ya!" Ruby said and waved goodbye, not even thinking neo never had a bag.

Neo took a breath moved to confront her old allies. They stopped on the side of the path as Neo approached, Emerald putting her hands on her hips.

"Well well, look who we have here," Mercury said, crossing his arms. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Neo was confused at the comment, "What do you mean? I thought you were here because I was?"

Emerald laughed, "No, we've been here a while for Cinder. I bet she'd love to know you're here though."

"She expected you to be in jail by now. Or dead," Mercury added.

Neo glared at him, "Well you can tell her I'm alive and well and, as of yesterday a student here."

"Is that so?" Emerald asked. "Too bad, she said she was thinking about taking you back."

Neo huffed, "Not going to happen. I'm training to be a huntress now."

Mercury smirked, "Not if Cinder has anything to say about it. I can't imagine she'll want you around anymore once we relay that to her. What we should just off you now so you can't cause trouble."

"Calm down," his partner snapped. "We need to keep a low profile, and I don't think killing her is a great way to do that."

"Well then what do you suggest we do then?"

Emerald thought a moment and turned back to Neo, "Alright, it looks like we both have a secret we don't want getting out, so I'll make you a deal; As long as no one finds out we're here, Cinder won't find out you're here. Sound good?"

Neo was hesitant. She didn't want to keep a secret like this, especially since she didn't know what they were up to. On the other hand, Cinder knowing she was a student now would almost assuredly bring her time here to an end. She went back and forth in her mind for another few moments before she gave a nod.

"Deal," Neo replied, already feeling uneasy.

"Alright then. See you around," Mercury said, and he and Emerald left.

'_There's no way this is gong to end well for me,_' Neo thought sadly, taking a seat on a nearby bench. '_If I tell someone about them Cinder will find out it was me. But what if they do something and I could've stopped it? Maybe I should talk to Yang. No, I don't want to drag her in with me._'

Neo sighed and got up to leave, '_How did I get back to the dorms again? I think I have a map on... Where'd I put my scroll?_' She searched her pockets for a minute before laughing to herself. '_I guess I left something in the stands after all._'

**Hi everyone, hope you liked the chapter! Next time we get to see Neo's attempt to befriend Weiss. Be sure to review if you've got feedback or any suggestions. I've got an overarching story in my head but if you've got something you'd like to see, don't hesitate to let me know! See ya next time! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: A Day on the Town

Chapter 4: A Day on the Town

The rest of the week went by, and Neo felt more and more at home at Beacon with every passing day. Blake had taken her shopping earlier in the week for new clothes and school supplies, with Weiss having been nice enough to pay. Neo was surprised at how much she enjoyed being in school. She wasn't sure if it was an actual yearning to learn or just the newness of it, but either way she felt couldn't be happier. She was still somewhat on edge after her agreement with Mercury and Emerald, but tried her best to keep it in the back of her mind.

Neo laid on her new bed, which sat where Ruby's had been before converting it to a bunk bed. It was a little past noon and Ruby, Blake and Yang were out at lunch with team CFVY. Weiss had stayed behind to catch up on staying before her date tonight, and Neo had feigned a stomach ache to stay behind as well.

_'Alright, time to win her over,'_ Neo thought, glancing up at the heiress. '_I just hope she'll agree to hang out._'

Weiss had been buried in her books all morning and, if left alone, would likely have stayed there until Neptune came to pick her up. Neo took a deep breath and stood up.

"Hey Weiss?" she asked.

"What?" Weiss replied, not taking her eyes off her notes.

"I uh, was wondering if you'd want to go get lunch?"

"Just the two of us?"

"Y-yeah, I thought we could just hang out, get to know each other."

Weiss stopped and turned to Neo, who by now had turned a light shade of red.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Well, we haven't really talked much since I came here. I want us to be friends, and I figured spending an afternoon together could be a good way to start."

"I..." Weiss started, looking sceptically at Neo. "I can't, I need to finish studying before I go out tonight."

She turned back to her desk, and Neo's heart sank. She hung her head and walked to the door.

'_Well... you tried,_' she thought sadly. '_No point trying to convince her I guess, she's about as stubborn as rock. Guess I can try again tomorrow._'

She turned the handle and started to leave, but Weiss stopped her.

"Where're you going?" the heiress asked, looking up from her books.

Neo shrugged, "I'll see if I can catch up with the rest of the team, if they haven't found somewhere to eat yet."

"I thought you were feeling sick?" Weiss asked, remembering why Neo hadn't gone with them in the first place.

"Yeah, well, I lied. I wanted the two of us to have time to ourselves. I should've known better... I'll get out of your hair now," Neo replied, hurrying out the door.

She knew she wouldn't be able to catch her teammates no matter how quickly she went, she just wanted to avoid the conversation getting more awkward. She sighed and started walking down the hall.

"Neo, wait!" a voice called out behind her as she reached the stairs, and she turned with surprise to see Weiss running down the hall after her.

"Weiss? What're you doing?" Neo asked.

"I suppose you're right that we haven't spoken much, and it's my fault," Weiss began. Neo went to interrupt, but Weiss put a hand up to stop her. "I didn't trust you, and frankly, I still don't. But, I said I would give you a chance, and I won't go back on my word. If you want us to spend the afternoon together, then we will."

Neo smiled, "Alright, then let's go!"

The duo left Beacon and headed into Vale, Neo being somewhat happy to get out of the school and back outside. It was a warm, sunny day, with a light breeze and only a few clouds in the sky. In stark contrast to the weather, Weiss was being her usual, cold self. She was quiet for the duration of the walk, making it awkward for both girls.

"So, were did you have in mind for lunch?" Weiss asked, finally breaking the silence.

"There's a new diner I saw a few blocks from 'From Dust Till Dawn.' I was thinking we could go there, it looked pretty good."

Weiss shrugged, "Sounds alright to me."

They walked up to the diner, and Neo was happy to see they wouldn't have to wait for a table. A waitress greeted them as they entered and took them to a booth along the window at Neo's request. She took their drink orders, Neo getting 'People Like Grapes' and Weiss with a glass of water.

"Excellent, I'll be back in a moment," the waitress said and departed, leaving the girls alone.

"This is nice," Neo said. Weiss nodded, but didn't look up from her menu. "Know what you're gonna get?"

"Probably just a salad."

"Oh come on, don't be so bland!"

Weiss glared across the table, "Unlike you, I actually have to watch what I eat to maintain my figure."

Neo rolled her eyes, "One nice lunch won't kill you. Maybe I should pick for you."

"Whatever. What're you getting?"

Neo shrugged and picked up her own menu. Everything looked good to her, but she found herself constantly turning back to the breakfast section.

"It's never too late for pancakes," she replied happily, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

"I swear, you're almost as childish as Ruby sometimes."

Neo frowned, "What's childish about pancakes?"

"It's one o'clock in the afternoon!"

"Like I said, it's never too late."

Weiss sighed, "Just don't order a side of cookies. I don't know if could handle two Rubys."

"Don't worry, I'm not that crazy about sweets," Neo laughed. "I'll probably either get banana or blueberry."

"Ew, bananas on pancakes?" Weiss asked disgusted.

"Yeah, you've never tried it?"

"No! That sounds awful!"

Neo grinned, "Well then you will now. Trust me, you'll love it!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at the word "trust" and Neo quickly looked back down at her menu.

"Well..." the heiress said hesitantly. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

Neo's eyes lit up, "Sweet!"

Their waitress returned only moments later to take their orders, Neo getting her banana pancakes and Weiss taking Neo's suggestion and ordering the diner's lunch special. The waitress returned to the kitchen, leaving the girls on their own again.

'_Okay, this is going way better than expected,_' Neo thought happily. _'She's talking to me, agreed to try something new, and listened to my lunch suggestion. Maybe this will work out after all.'_

Neo wasn't aware of how much she was smiling at her own thoughts, and Weiss quickly picked up on it.

"What's got you so happy?" she asked.

"What?" Neo said as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, I um, was just thinking of something."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Alright. So Neo... What should I know about you?"

_'Is she trying to start a conversation?'_ Neo thought incredulously.

She smiled, "Well, you kinda already know all the big stuff. Anything more specific you'd like to know?"

"Yes, there is," the heiress said plainly. "You said Cinder Falls raised you. I'd like to know more about that."

"Well, as long as I can remember she took care of me," Neo started. "She's not my mother though, I don't know anything about my real parents. I was brought up as a fighter, along with... a few other kids." She caught herself from mentioning Mercury and Emerald, which Weiss noticed.

"Who were these other kids?"

"I don't really remember," Neo lied. "I haven't seen them since I was really young."

_'I don't like this. She'll find out I lied eventually, I know she will. I hope she'll understand..._'

"Anyway, once I got old enough she used me as a bodyguard," Neo continued. "I wasn't assigned to Roman until after Blake and the monkey Faunus fought him at the docks. What's that kid's name?"

"Sun. You'll probably meet him soon," Weiss said. "He and Neptune are best friends."

"I'd love to meet him, I've heard some cool things about his weapons how he fights."

"Just don't try pulling any moves on him," Weiss laughed. "Blake would shred you like a mouse."

Neo chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind. So what about you, Weiss? What should I know about you?"

The heiress thought for a moment, "I assume you know about my family and the Schnee Dust Company."

Neo nodded, "That must've been awesome as a kid. All that money, getting anything you wanted, being treated like a princess-" She stopped as she saw Weiss' expression darken, and feared she hit a sore topic. "Sorry, I didn't know that was a sensitive subject."

Weiss sighed, "No, it's fine. Everyone thinks that's what it would be like, but it's really quite the opposite. My parents were hardly ever around, so our servants became more of a family to me than they were. You're rightabout one thing though, I did get most everything I wanted, but it came at the cost of friends, and everything a child should have. I was always expected to be the perfect daughter, to uphold the family honour. It was a tough way to grow up."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Neo said sympathetically.

A small smile crept onto Weiss' lips at the comment, "I shouldn't complain, especially to you. I'm sure you had it much worse." Neo smiled back, happy to see they were finally starting to connect. "So, I hope you don't mind me asking, but, I'd like to know more about your split personality."

"Alright, ask away!"

Before Weiss could say anything, their waitress arrived with their lunches. The girls thanked her as she set the food on the table, and Neo turned to Weiss with a big grin.

"What's that's look?" the heiress asked with a hint of worry.

Neo responded by pushing the pancakes toward her.

"You said you'd give it a try," she answered, and Weiss looked down at the plate.

"Yeah... I did..."

She picked up her knife and fork and cut a small piece. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, put the bite her mouth and cautiously chewed.

"So what do ya think?" Neo asked eagerly.

Weiss' tense expression melted into optimism, and Neo smiled, knowing she had been right.

"It's... alright I guess," the heiress said flatly.

Neo laughed and pulled the plate back to herself, "Oh don't give me that, you love it and you know it."

Weiss crossed her arms, but didn't argue.

The two went silent again, but this time it was from neither one wanting to look up from their food. Eventually they both slowed down and Neo decided to resume their conversation.

"So what'd you want to know about my other personality?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, right. I guess the biggest thing I want to know is just what it's like to be the other you. What'd you name her again?"

"Beo," Neo laughed. "It's kind of a weird feeling when I make the transition, I can't really describe it."

"But what's it like just becoming another person?"

"It's... strange. It's always weird right after switching, just having a completely different way of thinking. Imagine if you suddenly thought the same way Ruby did."

Weiss' eyes flew open, "That would be... interesting. So... what does Beo think about? You said she's a psychopath, how do you mean?"

Neo sighed and looked down, "It's just a lot of violent, crazy images. It can be frightening sometimes once I come out if it and realise who they were about... Can I tell you something that scares me?"

Weiss nodded, "Of course."

"I think... I think if Professor Goodwitch hadn't stopped the match when she did on Monday, I would've pulled my sword on Cardin. Everything I remember thinking about during the match was of me just stabbing him, over and over. It's the same thing I remember after fighting Yang on the train..."

Neo turned back to Weiss, who gazed back at her with a look of pure compassion.

"It's alright," Weiss said, putting her hand on Neo's. "You can't help it. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you."

Neo wiped a tear from her eye and smiled, "Thanks, Weiss. I guarantee I'll take you up on that eventually."

"I believe you," Weiss said, and looked down at the table. "Neo, I'm sorry for the way I've acted toward you. I shouldn't have let your past affect my judgment as much as it did. What matters is who you are now, and who you're striving to be. You're a great person, and I'm happy to call you my friend."

Neo felt tears welling in her eyes again, but this time they were tears of joy.

"Weiss, I can't even tell you how much that means to me. I promise, I'll be the best friend to you I can be."

The moment was cut short as their waitress returned to the table, bearing the check.

"Hi girls! Sorry to interrupt, I'll just leave this here and you can take care of it when you're ready."

"Thank you," Weiss said somewhat annoyed. Neo reached for her purse, but Weiss' hand quickly stopped her. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Paying the bill?"

"I don't think so," Weiss said, reaching for her own purse.

"Yes, I am! I took you out to lunch, it's only fitting I pay. But, I'll let you leave the tip if you'd like."

Weiss laughed, "You forget, I'm a Schnee, money is anything but an issue. Besides, I can't imagine you have much extra cash on you."

"You'd be surprised, robbing your family's trains and warehouses landed me a decent pay," Neo said smugly. Weiss only glared at her.

"Well then, I guess I'm the one paying no matter what, if you think about it," the heiress' angry stare turning to a grin.

Neo smiled back, "Yeah, I guess so."

Weiss set the Lien on the table and the two left the diner. Neo started back in the direction of Beacon, but Weiss had other plans.

"So where're we going next?"

Neo looked back confused, "Next?"

"Well yeah, you said we were spending the afternoon together, I assumed you had more than just lunch in mind."

"Oh yeah... Well, the thing is," Neo said shyly. "I didn't actually think this would go as well as it did."

Weiss crossed her arms, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I dunno, I figured you and I wouldn't get along after the way you reacted to me coming here. Besides, I figured you'd want to get back to studying."

Weiss' expression softened, "I guess I can't blame you for thinking that. But, if you're still up for it, I wouldn't mind doing something else. I think I've studied enough for today."

"I'd love to," Neo said, perking up at the suggestion. "I don't really know the city that well yet, is there anywhere you'd recommend?"

"Hmm... I wouldn't say no to just going shopping," Weiss replied after a moment of thought.

"Sounds like a plan."

Weiss led them off in the direction of the local mall, pointing out other buildings and locations as they went to help Neo get more familiar.

"Here, we'll cut through these alleyways to save some time," the heiress suggested.

"You sure? It's looks kinda sketchy."

Weiss sighed, "It's the middle of the afternoon, we'll be fine."

Neo was hesitant, but decided Weiss was probably right. They entered the alley and turned a few corners as they walked. As they rounded another bend, a deep voice called out behind them.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Both girls jumped and spun around to see who was speaking. Out of the shadows stepped a very large man, holding an beaten iron pipe. "What're two lovely ladies like yourselves doing back here?"

"Just passing through," Weiss said in her most proper tone. "Come on, Neo, let's keep walking."

They turned back around, but found their path blocked by a group of three men, equally as large as the first, and each armed with a different blunt weapon.

'_Oh no, this is not going to end well,_' Neo thought as she felt herself losing control. '_For them at least._'

"Leaving so soon?" the first man asked, taking a step toward them.

"Don't take another-" Weiss started as she reached down to her belt, but froze when she realised she hadn't brought Myrtenaster with her.

"Don't worry, princess," the man smirked. "Just don't struggle and this'll be over in no time."

Weiss turned to Neo in a panic, who had been quiet so far, "Any ideas?"

She locked eyes with the girl, and made a startling realisation: She wasn't looking at Neo.

"Relax, honey, I've got this," Beo said with a wicked smile.

Beo started walking to confront the man, and Weiss backed away from her, afraid of what was about to happen. He raised his weapon as she neared.

"Wrong move," he said, and charged toward her.

In a swift, fluid motion, Beo pulled the sword from her umbrella and sliced clean through his throat, stepping to the side as he fell past her. His hands flew to his neck in a desperate attempt to stop the river of blood gushing from the wound. He flailed on the ground for almost thirty seconds, gagging and coughing up blood, before his struggles began to grow more and more feeble. With a final twitch he went limp, and all eyes turned to his killer.

Beo pouted and wiped the blood off her sword with his shirt, "Aww, I thought he'd put up more of a fight."

"That was a big mistake kid," one of the other men growled, and the second group moved in on her.

Beo only grinned, "Weiss, you should probably close your eyes."

The heiress complied without hesitation, and braced herself for whatever she would see when they reopened. She heard a lengthy series of slashes and stabs, each followed by a primal scream or groan. Her lunch started making its way up into her throat after she heard the sickening splat of something she didn't dare venture a guess as to what caused it. After a final squishing sound and ragged gasp for air, it went dead silent. Weiss yelped as a hand suddenly grasped her wrist, but quickly relaxed after feeling how small it's fingers were.

"I think we should head back to Beacon," a sweet but concerned voice said, and Weiss knew she was talking to Neo again.

Neo lead her out of the alley, and signalled it was alright to open her eyes again.

"Sorry you had to hear that," Neo said sadly.

Weiss was amazed as she looked at the girl; There wasn't a drop of blood on her, or any other indication of what she'd just done.

"D-don't worry about it," the heiress stammered. "Do... do I want to know what you did too them?"

Neo shook her head, "Absolutely not. I think you'd throw up if I told you."

"What, you think I'm too sensitive to hear it?"

"I hung a guy by his intestines," Neo said flatly. Weiss instantly turned green, and her hand flew to cover her mouth. "See? I told you."

"Alright, alright, don't say any more. Let's just go home. Oh, and never call me honey again."

Neo smiled and nodded, and the pair made their way back to their dorm. The walk back had the same awkward silence as their walk from earlier, and Neo was afraid she'd already ruined her friendship with Weiss.

"I... I'm really sorry about that. I shouldn't have let myself switch so easily."

Weiss sighed, "It's alright. It's not like we had another option."

"That's the thing," Neo said sadly. "If I hadn't let Beo take over so quickly, I could've used my semblance to just teleport us out of there."

Weiss put a hand on Neo's shoulder, "Really, it's okay. You acted on instinct to protect us. I wasn't able to help, and you did what you had to do to get us out of there by yourself. Yes, you could've handled it a little better, but all that matters is we're both okay."

Neo smiled, "Thanks. You should probably remember your sword next time."

"Yeah, that is absolutely the last time I go anywhere without Myrtenaster."

At last they arrived at their dorm building, and Neo couldn't wait to collapse onto her bed. The fight had taken more out of her than she'd realised. She started up the stairs, but noticed Weiss had gone a different direction.

"Hey, aren't you coming back to the room?" Neo asked.

"No, I want to talk to Sun quick, I'll see you later."

"Alright, see ya!"

_'I guess all in all, this afternoon went really well,_' Neo thought as she neared her room. '_I hope she'll agree to hang out again after what happened in the alley. I'd hate to have messed up our friendship that quickly. I think it'll be fine though, she's been really understanding so far. I thought she'd be a lot colder on her own, but she actually really sweet, and caring, and beautiful... Wait, why did I just call her beautiful?_'

She shook her head and opened the door to the room, and walked in on a very interesting discussion between Yang and Blake.

"No way, I think she'd be into some crazy BDSM shit," Yang said to her partner.

"What're you guys talking about?" Neo asked with a laugh.

"We're discussing what Beo would be like in bed," Blake answered as if it were a normal topic of conversation.

Neo paused to let the statement sink in, "How the hell did that even come up?"

Yang shrugged, "I dunno, it just sorta did. So how was your date with Weiss?"

"Pretty good, I only got to second base though," Neo joked, getting a laugh from Blake. "I'm kidding, but it did go really well. She actually called me her friend."

"That's awesome!" Yang cheered.

"Then I sort of eviscerated a couple muggers in front of her," Neo continued. "Well, Beo did."

Blake laughed, "Sounds like a good time to me. I'm glad to see she's coming around."

"Yeah, me too," Neo yawned. "I think I need a nap, there are some images I need it of my head."

She leapt into her bed and was asleep within seconds. A huge smile spread across her cheeks as she began to dream, leaving Yang and Blake to wonder what she could be dreaming about.

Neo found herself in the middle of the Beacon gardens at night. The air was still and cool, moonlight filtered through the clouds overhead. She turned to see Weiss walking toward her with a smile and an outstretched hand.

"You ready to go?" she asked.

Neo nodded and took her hand, their fingers intertwining as they walked toward Beacon's main gate.

"Where'd you decide we're going tonight?" Neo asked.

"I thought we could go to that diner we had our first lunch at. It's only fitting," Weiss replied with an innocent smile.

They arrived at the familiar location and were seated at the same booth they had been at before. They ordered their drinks, and Neo raised her glass in a toast.

"Here's to our first year together," she said happily.

Weiss tapped her glass to Neo's, "And to many more to come."

"Never in a million years did I think we'd be back here like this."

"I knew we would be," Weiss grinned. "Ever since the day you showed up at the dorm room, all I wanted was to be with you."

Neo laughed, "You had a really funny way of showing it back then."

Weiss giggled, "I love you."

"I love you to," Neo smiled, and leant in for a kiss.

Neo shot up in her bed, covered in sweat. She quickly looked around, and was relieved to see she was alone in the room.

'_Holy shit, that dream..._' Neo thought, resting her head on her hand. '_I can't believe it, am I...? Am I in love with Weiss?_'

She let those words and the events of the dream sink in, turning them over and over again in her mind, but couldn't come up with another explanation.

_'I can't be can I? Sure, she's a cool person, maybe a little cold on the outside, but do I really feel that way about her? I think she's great, but... Well... Wait, is that why I called her beautiful earlier? Oh my God... It's true... I'm in love with her..._'

At that moment the door swung open, making Neo jump.

"Oops, didn't mean to startle you," Ruby said cheerfully. "I came to see if you're coming to dinner with the rest of us."

Neo glanced over at the clock, '_7:24, Weiss is already out, good. I don't know if I want to see her right now._'

"Um, yeah. I'll be down in a few minutes," she said, getting out of bed.

"Okay, see ya in a bit!" Ruby replied and closed the door.

Neo sat back down and put her head in her hands.

'_This is bad, really bad. She's got a boyfriend! Of all the people I could've fallen for, why did it have to be her? Maybe I can talk to Yang about it, she seems like she would know how to help._'

Neo wiped her eyes and got up to leave. She was very unsure of how the next few days would pan out with her newfound feelings.

She laughed to herself as she walked out into the hallway, '_Out of everything I've gone though in the past two weeks, how is this the scariest thing that's happened to me?_'

**Hello again! I looked at the story stats today, and I'm amazed I've gotten so many views and followed this quickly, I'm glad to see all of you are enjoying the story! Now we're finally going to start getting into some romance. Do you think it'll work out between Neo and Weiss? [ Ignore their pairing in the story heading (; ] Be sure to review if you've got something you'd like to say, follow to stay updated if you want more, and I'll see you all next time!**


	5. Chapter 5: Taking Chances

Chapter 5: Taking Chances

Sunday came and found the members of team RWBY sitting anxiously in their room. It was only seven in the morning, far earlier than they would normally be up, but this morning was different: Only three of the girls had slept in their beds the previous night. Yang had left for a party around midnight, but no one really expected her to be back yet. Weiss on the other hand, didn't seem like the type of girl to spend the night on a first date, leaving her team wondering if something else had happened to her.

"She's still not answering her scroll," Ruby said, setting her own scroll on her pillow.

Neo looked worried, "Do you think we should go look for her?"

Blake shook her head, "No. Who knows? Maybe she did spend the night. I don't think there's any cause for alarm just yet."

Neo pouted, she hated the thought of Weiss and Neptune together. Ever since her dream the day before, all that she could think about was her white-haired teammate. At dinner she played it off as just feeling tired after that afternoon, but now that excuse had lost its viability. She sighed and moved to the window, gazing out at the sunrise.

"Neo, are you alright?" her leader asked. "You look really-"

She stopped at the sound of someone fidgeting with the doorknob, as if they were trying to keep it from making noise. All heads turned with anticipation toward the door. It opened slowly, making a few creaks, and in crept a less than stealthy blonde. Yang's hair was a mess, her clothes wrinkled with a few stains, and Neo was pretty sure she saw the brawler's underwear stuffed in her shirt pocket.

Yang turned to see her team staring up at her, and her face turned as red as Ruby's hood.

"Morning sis! Have a good night?"

Yang put her head in her hands, "Not now, I'm really hungover."

Blake sighed, "You really need to learn some restraint, one of these days you're gonna do something you'll really regret."

"Okay, mom," Yang grunted.

She started toward her bed, but then made an immediate bee-line for the bathroom. After a few minutes of loudly vomiting, she emerged looking somewhat better than when she went it.

"So... what're you all doing up so early?" Yang asked, rubbing her eyes. "And where's Weiss?"

Blake grinned, "She hasn't come back from her date yet."

Yang's eyes popped open, her hangover seeming to have been instantly cured by the statement.

"No way! Do you think she...?" the blonde trailed off and took a seat next to Neo, who had sat back down on her bed.

Ruby shrugged, "We don't know. I've tried calling her but she won't pick up."

"Damn, I never thought Weiss would hook up like that quickly. Or, ya know, at all."

"We don't know that's what happened," Neo snapped, instantly regretting her tone.

"Are you alright, Neo?" Blake asked. "You've been acting strange all morning. And last night too come to think about it."

Neo put on a smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... a bit of a headache, that's all."

'_I need to get this under control,_' she thought. '_I'll see if Yang can talk once everyone else leaves. And if she's not too hungover still._'

Ruby frowned, "Oh, alright. If you weren't feeling well you should've said something, we'd have let you sleep more."

"I've got some medicine in the dresser if you need anything," Blake added.

Neo shook her head, "That's alright, thank you though."

"Suit yourself. Hey, I don't know about you guys, but if we're not going back to bed, I need some breakfast."

"Seconded!" Ruby cheered, hopping down from her bed.

"You guys go ahead, I just wanna lie down," Yang groaned.

"Okie dokie, get done rest sis. What you Neo?"

She shook her head, "No thanks, I think I'll follow Yang's lead."

"Alright, hope you feel better! Message us when Weiss gets back. Let's go, Blake!"

They two departed, and Yang got up to go her bunk.

_'I guess this is as good a chance as any._'

"Hey Yang, you got a minute?"

The blonde turned as she was about to jump up, "I guess, what's up?"

"Can I to talk to you about something? It's... kinda personal."

Yang's face softened as Neo's tone grew sadder, and she returned to her seat beside the girl.

"Is everything okay?"

Neo shook her head, "No, not really. There's someone I... I'm..."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me," Yang said, placing a hand on Neo's shoulder. "Someone what? Is someone giving you trouble? Is it Cardin? Cuz I wouldn't mind giving him a good ass kicking."

"No, that's not it," Neo smiled. "If Cardin were giving me problems, you'd never find the body."

Yang laughed, "Yeah, that's probably true. So what's wrong?"

"I think... I think..." Neo stammered. "I might be... in love with someone."

"Awww that's so cute! Who is it? What's his name? Do I know him?"

"Umm... It's not a he."

Yang was intrigued, "Oooo so what's her name? Is that why you look so worried?"

Neo sighed, "No, that's not why. It's because... it's... Weiss."

Neo felt relieved to say it outloud, and slowly turned her head to her teammate. Yang's eyes were the size of dinner plates, and her mouth hung open. She shook her head to regain her composure.

"Okay, I'm gonna ask very calmly," the blonde started. "I want you to explain to me just what THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH WEISS?"

Neo couldn't help but laugh, "Calm, huh?"

"Oh don't even start with me!" Yang shouted. "I can't believe it, how long have you felt this way?"

"I realised it last night. I just, I don't know what to do. I was hoping you might have some advice, anything really."

Yang paused, "Well... are you gonna tell her?"

"Of course not!" Neo exclaimed. "We only just became friends! Besides, she has a boyfriend!"

"She doesn't have a boyfriend..."

"Wait, what? I don't understand, isn't she on a date with Neptune?"

"Yeah, she is," Yang smiled. "But they're not actually dating. At least, they weren't when she left."

"Wow... But, it doesn't matter anyway, I can't imagine she'd go for another girl, let alone me."

"Not with that attitude she won't. Give it a shot, you never know what'll happen."

Neo smiled, surprised that's Yang's positive attitude was actually helping her feel better.

'_Okay, okay, Yang's right, if she and Neptune aren't a couple then I should tell her how I feel. The worst that can happen is she rejects me. No, that's not true. The worst that can happen is we go back to the way things were when I got here. But on the other hand, there's the best that can happen... And I want that so bad. I guess that settles it. I'm telling her. There's just one thing I want to know first._'

"Thanks Yang. Hey, can you do me a favour?" Neo asked.

"No problem! And that depends on what it is."

"Can you... find out how Weiss feels about dating other girls? I'll tell her how I feel regardless, but I want to know how she'll react."

Yang gave a sympathetic smile, "Sure. After I get some sleep though."

Neo smiled back and nodded. Yang got up and leapt up to her bed, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

'_Alright, I guess I'll join everyone else and get some breakfast. When Weiss comes back I'm sure Yang will let us know._' As she finished her thought, the doorknob slowly began to turn, and in walked Weiss. '_Or she can come back now, that works too._'

"Good morning!" Neo greeted her cheerfully, and sent a message to Ruby from her scroll.

"I wouldn't call it good, but alright."

Neo frowned, "What's wrong?"

'_Please don't say what I think you're going to say._'

"I have the worst headache. I went to the library after we went out to catch up on a bit of studying, and feel asleep in one of the lounges. Those chairs have no neck support."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Neo said, secretly relieved at Weiss' answer. "How'd the date go?"

"It was... alright I guess. I doubt there will be another though."

"Why do you say that?"

"He kept insisting I spend the night. Actually, insisting isn't quite enough. He almost forced me to spend the night, but when I threatened a restraining order he finally backed off. I'm not looking for a relationship with someone who's first and only thought is sex. Call me old fashioned, but I like a bit of romance."

"Sorry it didn't go well," Neo said with a sad face. Inside she was smiling, but couldn't help but feel guilty about it. "I'll sure you'll find someone better."

Weiss huffed, "I'm starting to doubt it. Everyone here is either only looking for hookups, or is only interested in me because of my last name. It'd be nice to meet someone different for a change... Anyway, sorry to rant like that."

'_Huh... Not once did she say she's looking for a guy._'

Neo smiled, "Don't worry about it, I'm always here to talk if you need me."

"Thanks," the heiress replied, returning the smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a shower."

"Okay. I'm gonna head down to breakfast with the rest of the team, you should come down once you're finished."

"Will do. What's Yang still doing in bed?"

Neo laughed, "She partied a little too hard last night. She only got back a couple minutes ago."

Weiss rolled her eyes and grabbed a towel before heading to the shower. Neo left the room after changing out of her pajamas and joined the rest of her team in the dining hall. They were relieved to hear that Weiss had come back safely, and were also surprised at Neo's sudden change in mood. It wasn't long before Weiss came to join them as well, giving Neo even more reason to be happy. She found that throughout breakfast she couldn't seem to keep her eyes from drifting to the heiress. Even though it was the same girl she'd seen for the past week, there was something different now. Weiss seemed to glow in the morning light, like fresh dew on a blooming flower. There was a whole world going on around her, but all Neo could see was Weiss. Thankfully for Neo, Weiss didn't pick up on the constant gaze.

After breakfast the group decided to go to the sparring arena, seeing as they had exam-style matches coming up on Wednesday. Blake informed Neo that these matches were graded with the same weight as an exam would be in any other class, and that Professor Goodwitch graded it solely based on technique, not simply being victorious.

"That might be a bit of a problem for me," Neo laughed.

"Why do you say that?" Pyrrha asked. "You're an excellent fighter, I don't think your technique needs too much work."

"Yeah, well, I'm not really in charge of my fighting styles and techniques. Beo has that locked down, and I don't think she's very open to change."

Nora perked up at the mention of Beo's name, "Hey Neo, can we spar today? Please? I really wanna fight Beo."

"Hold on," Pyrrha interrupted. "I believe I'm the one who'll be sparring with her. We agreed after our match on Monday."

Neo gave a cocky smile, "Doesn't matter to me, I could probably take you both if you want."

"Oooo I think this'll be a good match," Ruby said to Blake.

The Faunus nodded, "I should say so."

"We'll see about that," Jaune smirked. "Wanna up the ante, Neo? Think you could take all of team JNPR?"

"Oooooo!" came simultaneously from the rest of team RWBY.

Neo crossed her arms, "I know I can. In fact, I think I feel another bet coming on. Unless of course, you're too afraid after the last one."

"You're on!" Nora shouted. "And I know what the loser should do."

Pyrrha looked concerned, "Be careful what you say, Nora."

Of course, she didn't listen, "The loser's punishment will be decided afterwards by the winner. No limitations, no boundaries. You have to do whatever they tell you to."

Neo rather liked the idea, but the rest of Nora's team wasn't quite so enthusiastic.

"I'll agree to that on one condition," Jaune ventured. "It has to be Neo, and not Beo, that decides what we do if we lose."

A chorus of laugher erupted from both teams. Neo of course couldn't blame him for saying that, knowing full well the kinds of things Beo would put them up to.

"Alright, it's a bet," Neo grinned.

They arrived at the arena, and team JNPR and Neo took their positions in the ring. Ruby, Weiss and Blake sat in the front of the stands to cheer on their teammate.

'_Okay, I can do this,_' Neo thought as she looked over her opponents. '_My biggest threat is Pyrrha, and probably Nora after her. Jaune will be easy to handle, but I'm not sure about Ren, I haven't seen him fight much. Let's see how this-_'

Neo suddenly found herself on the ground with a splitting headache, and both her team and JNPR surrounding her with concerned faces.

"What... what happened?" she asked in a daze, bracing herself on Jaune and Ruby to stand up. "It feels like I was hit by a truck."

"Close, Nora drove you into the ground with her hammer from about fifty feet in air," Weiss replied.

Neo shook her head, "I can't remember a thing about the fight."

'_Wait a minute, I lost the match? I mean, I didn't have really high hopes of winning, but, I still figured I would. Uh oh, that means..._'

"I hope you still remember the bet we made beforehand," Nora said with an evil smile.

"I uh... Well, technically we never shook on it."

"Nuh uh, you're not getting out of it that easily. Now what should you have to do?"

Neo laughed, "You said Beo couldn't decide for you guys, does that extend to Nora not being able to choose for me? They're pretty similar."

"Nope, didn't say that when we made the bet," Jaune said. "Whatcha got, Nora?"

The redhead was deep in thought for a few minutes, giving Neo ample time to recover from the fight.

"I've got it!" Nora suddenly shouted.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, "Do tell."

"Neo... has to streak back to the dorms from here!"

Neo's face instantly turned red, as did everyone else's but Nora's.

"I dunno, Nora," Jaune said, a little embarrassed at the thought. "That's a pretty long walk. We don't have to be that mean."

"No, it's alright," Neo cut in. "I agreed to the bet, and if that's what I have to do, I'll do it. Anyway, I kinda want to head back anyway, my head feels like it's gonna explode."

Without much hesitation, she began removing her uniform. Everyone but Nora and Blake averted their eyes, but Neo didn't care either way. She picked up her pile of clothes and tossed to it Blake.

"Thanks, but I doubt they'll fit me," the Faunus joked.

Neo rolled her eyes, "Make sure you bring those back when you guys finish up here. See ya back at the room!"

With that, she took off sprinting back toward the dorms. She did her best to stay hidden, her aura helping her to move across open areas without being seen. Unfortunately, the illusion it left behind was also naked, so she had to exercise a little caution as to when and where she could use it. At last she reached the building, taking cover behind a tall hedge, but still had to run up and open the doors. She stepped out to make a run for the doors, but quickly turned around as they began to open. She leapt back behind the bush as Professor Ozpin stepped outside, followed by Professor Port.

_'Whoa, that was way too close,_' Neo thought, breathing a sigh of relief. '_Of everyone that could see me like this, those are probably the last two people I'd want to see me. Team CRDL wouldn't be too favourable either, but the headmaster is still worse._'

She waited until they were sufficiently far away and dashed to the door, throwing it open and sprinting up the stairs as fast as her legs allowed her. At last she made it to her room, quickly shut the door and jumped onto her bed to rest.

"Oh, hey Neo!" Yang called out from her bunk. "What're you doing back so- Um... Why're you naked?"

Neo sighed and shut her eyes, still panting from the run back, "Lost a bet with JNPR. Had to streak back here. How's your hangover?"

"I'm feeling pretty alright now. So, do you think you should put your clothes back on?"

"Yeah, probably. I'm gonna take a shower first though."

Neo grabbed a new set of clothes and a towel and went into the bathroom.

'_Okay, that's the last time I make a bet where Nora's involved in any way. I need to think of a good way to get her back for that._'

With no one else waiting on her, Neo took her time in the hot water, mulling over her options for revenge against the fiery redhead. By the time she was finished, she was confident her plan was perfect. She stepped out and began to dry herself off, but paused when she heard a conversation outside the door.

'_They're back already? No, there's no way._'

She moved to the door and pressed her ear against it to hear why they'd returned so quickly.

_'I only hear Weiss and Yang. Why'd she come back alone?_'

Neo's question was immediately answered by the heiress herself, "No, I just wanted to check up on Neo. I've never seen someone take a hit that hard and just be okay."

"Aww, that's really sweet of you," Yang replied. "You're a good friend."

"Thank you Yang. Where is she anyway?"

"She's in the shower, probably will be out in a bit. Oh! I never got to ask you, how'd your date go?"

Neo had gone back to drying off, but froze at Yang's last comment. She knew what the blonde would inevitably lead into. She jumped back to the door and cracked it slightly, eager to hear what Weiss would say.

"It certainly could've gone better," the heiress replied. "I thought he might be a nice guy, but it turned he's just another horny teenager."

Yang grinned, "Sounds like prince charming to me."

"Ugh, why do I even bother trying to be serious with you?"

"Oh lighten up, princess. I'm just messing with you. So, any other boys you've got you eye on? Or girls?"

Neo felt her heart leap into her throat, '_Oh my God, here we go._'

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Since when do you care about my love life?"

"I dunno, just making conversa-" Yang suddenly stopped, a look of amazement coming over her. "Hold on a minute, you didn't even react to me asking if you liked girls."

"I uh... Well... You, um..." the heiress stammered.

"Holy shit, there is a girl!"

"Shhh not so loud! Alright yes, there is, but please don't tell anyone!"

Yang pulled her teammate into a hug, "You got it. I just, I can't believe you of all people would be a bi."

Weiss sighed, "I know, that's why I didn't want to tell anyone. My father wasn't exactly... supportive when I came out to him. He said that it would ruin our family's name. I think he's just homophobic, and want to show him he's wrong, but I don't know if I'm ready yet."

"You shouldn't let him stop you from being happy. When you decide you're ready, I know your team will be nothing but supportive."

_'I can't believe it... She actually... And that means... Gah! I can't even think straight, I'm so happy! This could really happen!_' Neo thought with a massive smile.

She speedily got dressed and went to open the door, but what she heard from outside stopped her dead in her tracks.

"So, can I know who this mystery girl is?" Yang asked.

She looked over toward the bathroom, and froze when she saw Neo through the cracked bathroom door. Both girl's eyes widened, and Neo braced herself for what Weiss would say next.

"I uh..." Weiss started, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's..."

As the heiress trailed off, Neo felt the butterflies in her stomach trying to force themselves out, and felt she couldn't listen to any more. With a deep breath, she opened the door and walked out.

"Ah, much better," Neo said, acting as nonchalantly as she could. "Oh, hey Weiss! What're you doing back?"

Weiss blushed, "I uh, came back to see how you were feeling."

"Aww, that was nice of you. I'm doing just fantastic. So what were you two talking about?"

"I was asking her how her date went," Yang said quickly, knowing that Neo had really heard the whole conversation.

Neo smiled, "Cool! She told me all about it when she got back this morning. She came in just after you feel asleep, I'm surprised you didn't wake up."

Yang laughed, "I'm not. I sleep like a hibernating Ursa. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I need a shower myself." She hurried into the bathroom, leaving Weiss and Neo alone. "Hey Neo! You left your wallet on the sink!"

'What, no I didn't? It's in my-' Neo thought and reached into her pocket, but she was shocked to find it empty. 'How did it fall out? I didn't even set my clothes on the sink.'

She walked into the bathroom and found Yang holding up her wallet, a smug smile on her face.

"Stole it when I walked past, needed to get your attention. How much did you hear?" Yang asked, tossing the wallet back up Neo.

"Pretty much all of it. Do you... Do you think it's me?"

"Yes! You really can't tell?" the blonde half yelled, and Neo shook her head. "Get out there right now and tell her how you feel!"

'_She's right, I can't wait any longer, I'll lose my mind if I do._'

"You're right, thanks Yang!"

"Any time! Now get out, I actually do need a shower."

Neo nodded and walked over to her bed, Yang closing the door behind her. She looked over at Weiss, who had taken her usual seat at her desk. The heiress' face was covered by a book, but Neo could see the girl's face was still as red as it was before.

'_Alright, here we go. Deep breaths, you can do this._'

"Hey Weiss?" Neo asked, her voice almost cracking. "Are... are you free tonight?"

"Um, I believe so, why?"

"I was wondering if you'd want to go get dinner?"

"Sure," Weiss replied with a smile, turning to face Neo. "Who all is coming?"

Neo blushed, but smiled back, "Just us. I was thinking it could be... it could be a date."

Weiss was stunned, "I... Are you... you're serious, aren't you?"

"Y-yes, I am," Neo stammered. "Look, I understand if you want to say no, I know we haven't known each other that long, and we only just became friends. It's just, I have to tell you how I feel, but I don't want things to be weird between us. I want us to be more than friends, I'm just afraid of what you'll say and and and-"

As she started to hyperventilate, Weiss rushed forward and put a finger to Neo's lips to stop her.

"Neo..." Weiss said in a whisper. "I have to stop you there."

Neo couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just-"

"Neo!" the heiress shouted, putting her hands on Neo's shoulders. Neo wiped her eyes, and meet Weiss' gaze. "Are you... asking me out?"

"I... Y-yes," Neo stuttered, and cleared her throat. "Weiss, w-will you be my girlfriend?"

She waited for what felt like an eternity for the answer, all the while staring deeply into Weiss eyes. She felt a wave of both relief and fear wash over her, and was forced to look away. Weiss put a hand on Neo's cheek, cupping the girl's face and pulling it back to her. Neo looked up to see the heiress smiling wider than she ever thought possible.

"Yes."

**Hi guys! Sorry to leave it there, but I couldn't resist a good cliffhanger. Things are definitely gonna start heating up now, so be sure to stick around! I saw I passed 1,000 views after the last chapter, just wanted to say thank you everyone for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. As always, review if you've got something you'd like to share with me, be it criticism or encouragement, I welcome both. I'll see you all next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: New Relationships

Chapter 6: New Relationships

"Yes."

One simple word, but to Neo its meaning was almost beyond comprehension. She was happier than she could ever remember being. Time seemed to stand still, her mind not wanting to accept that this moment could ever end. Neo's head was filled with a million thoughts, but they all had the same subject in common: Weiss was her girlfriend. The two continued to stare wordlesly into each others eyes, neither able to adequately express what they felt. Finally, Neo pulled the heiress into an embrace. Both girls were crying tears of joy, and their display didn't go unnoticed.

Yang poked her head out of the bathroom, "Everything alright out here?" Neo nodded, still crying, and Yang knew that all had gone well. "I'll leave you two alone."

She returned to her shower, and the new couple giggled as they broke the hug.

"I-I can't believe it," Neo said softly.

Weiss smiled, still blushing, "Neither can I. I never thought you would feel this way about me, not after the way I acted toward you."

"You'll have to do much worse than that to push me away."

"I wouldn't dream of it. So... what do we do now?"

Neo had been wondering the same thing. She'd never been in a relationship before, all of this was uncharted territory to her. Even so, just the simple fact of going into it with a Weiss seemed to make everything scary about it disappear. Neo felt another wave of happiness come over her, but what followed it was something much darker. She suddenly collapsed to the floor, catching onto her bed to stop her fall.

"Neo? What's wrong?" Weiss asked as she rushed to Neo's side.

'_No no no, not now, not now,_' Neo thought desperately. '_This can't be happening now._'

She was breathing raggedly, her eyes shut tight, making Weiss go pale, "Neo!? Are you okay?"

"N-No, Beo-" Neo gasped. "S-Stand back. Back up!"

Weiss complied, watching helplessly as Neo fought with herself for control. Neo stayed ahead, but only just, curling up in a ball as she strained to prevent the transition from coming on. After almost five minutes of panting, she went limp. Weiss couldn't watch anymore and rushed to her side, pulling her girlfriend's head into her lap and stroking her hair.

"Neo? Can you hear me? I'm right here, just breathe."

Neo's eyes opened, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"I... I'm alright," she said breathlessly. "I've haven't had her fight so hard for control in a long time. I guess I just haven't been that happy in a while."

Neo smiled and closed her eyes while she caught her breath. Weiss helped her into bed, pulling the covers over her as she began to shiver. All of Neo's strength had been drained, she could barely keep herself from passing out.

"Just rest, you need it. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Neo nodded weakly, and let the darkness overtake her.

She suddenly found herself standing in the middle of nothing but blackness, a single, invisible point of light illuminating her position.

"What the...? Where am I?" she asked aloud.

"Nowhere," a voice spoke from the darkness in front of her. "Well, technically it's your somewhere in your imagination."

Out from the shadows stepped Beo, grinning at her sister personality.

Neo was stunned, "What? Why am I here? Is this a dream?"

Beo shook her head, "Nope, not a dream. I just wanted us to talk, we haven't really gotten the chance before."

"O-Okay, I guess, what did you want to talk about?"

"Come on, you know exactly what I want to talk about."

"Weiss?" Neo asked. "What about her?"

Beo rolled her eyes, "If we're gonna be dating her, I want to spend some time with her too. Don't worry, I'll behave when I do, I wouldn't want to ruin our relationship."

Neo wasn't sure what to make of everything that was being said, "I... Alright, I guess..."

"Perfect! Well, it was nice chatting with you. See ya!" Beo said with a wink before walking back into the blackness. The light above Neo started to dim, and the dark slowly enveloped her.

Neo suddenly woke up and found Weiss sitting on the end of her bed.

"Good morning," the heiress said with a smile as Neo sat up.

"How long was I sleep?"

"A few hours, it's almost three o'clock. The rest of the team is at the library."

"The library? Do we have an exam coming up that I forgot about?"

"Apparently so," Weiss sighed. "Tuesday we have an exam in Professor Peach's class. It's on Vale plant life, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right," Neo said, then grinned. "Wait, you passed up going to the library to stay here with me?"

The heiress rolled her eyes and stood up. She walked over to her dresser and came back with a cup of water, handing to Neo.

"Here, drink this. And yes, I couldn't just leave you here."

"You're the best," Neo said, sipping the drink.

She hadn't realised how thirsty she was, the cold water soothing her dry throat. All the while, the conversation with Beo was playing in her head. She couldn't tell if it really was Beo talking, or just a dream, but either way she didn't think it would be a good idea to just let Beo take over with Weiss. She handed the glass back and started to get out of bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Weiss asked like a mother scolding her child.

"Relax, I'm fine. This isn't my first blackout."

Weiss didn't want to believe her, but seeing as she want an expert in split personalities, she decided to take her word for it. Neo got up and stretched before walking over to Weiss.

"Think we should join the others in the library?" she asked.

"I guess we could, but only if you're feeling well enough."

Neo smiled at her girlfriend's concern, "Weiss, believe me, I'm alright. I promise I wouldn't lie to you."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm still not worried."

"And I appreciate that. Come on, let's go!"

They left the room and set off for the library, neither girl saying much along the way, but Neo didn't seem to mind. She was content to just be in the heiress' company. A few minutes into the walk she thought about reaching for Weiss' hand, but decided against it after remembering what she'd heard from the bathroom.

"So, did you tell the rest of the team about us when they got back?" Neo asked, following her own train of thought.

"I did not," Weiss replied. "I wanted us to do it together."

"That is if Yang hasn't said anything already."

"She'd better not! I told her not to tell anyone after she came out of the shower."

Neo laughed, "I doubt she'd do it on purpose, but she is a bit of a loud mouth. It wouldn't surprise me if it slipped out."

"True, but I think she has a little more self control than you give her credit for."

They arrived at the library and joined their teammates around a table on the far side of the room. Ruby cheerfully greeted them as they sat down next to each other, happy to see that Neo was alright after her episode. They jumped into the study session right away, Neo being especially eager seeing as she had almost no prior knowledge in this area. After a few minutes, Neo winced suddenly an put a hand to her forehead.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Blake asked with a worried look.

"Yes, I'm fine," Neo said. "I usually get headaches after blacking out like that."

"Maybe you should go lie down?"

Neo laughed, "You sound like Weiss was back in the room."

"Hey! I was just looking out for you!" her girlfriend cut in.

"I know, I know. I'm happy to see you be so caring."

Weiss blushed, "Oh, stop it."

Yang gave the couple an exasperated look, "So, what've you two been up to while we were gone?"

"I don't know about Weiss, but I was sound asleep up until we left," Neo replied.

"And I spent most of the time reading," Weiss added.

Yang glared at then for avoiding the obvious answer she wanted, to which Neo innocently smiled. The team spent the next three hours half studying and half chatting. Yang constantly tried to bring up the new couple's relationship, but was subtle enough that the others wouldn't know unless Neo or Weiss said more.

"She's starting to get on my nerves," the heiress whispered in Neo's ear.

"Mine too, but I know I'd do the same if I were her," she replied.

"It doesn't matter, I asked her to be quiet about it. I said we'd tell everyone we're dating when we're ready to, not when-"

"WAIT WHAT?" Blake shouted.

Neo laughed, realising her girlfriend's mistake, "Damn her cat hearing."

Weiss on the other hand, didn't see the humour in it, and angrily turned to Yang, "Happy now? Why'd you have to keep egging us on?"

"Don't look at me, you're the one that said it," the blonde said innocently, raising her hands like a caught thief.

"I will look at you! I wanted to wait until we were ready!"

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Ruby cut in, getting a laugh from the rest of the team.

Neo wrapped her arm around Weiss' shoulders, "Well... As of this morning, we're dating."

The heiress smiled and nodded, putting her arm around Neo. Yang squealed with delight at the announcement, and Ruby and Blake weren't far behind her.

"Wow..." Ruby started. "Did not see that one coming. I'm so happy for you guys, congratulations!"

"You're really gonna have your hands full now. You sure you can handle her?" Blake joked.

"Of course! She's not crazy all the time," Weiss smiled.

"Actually, I was talking to Neo."

Neo smiled, "I'd only have to 'handle' her if she did things I don't like."

"Aww that's so sweet," Weiss said, pulling her girlfriend in for a hug.

Yang made a face, "Alright alright, enough of that cutesy stuff."

"Yang, you're the last person I'd expect to get grossed out by it," Ruby giggled.

The brawler stuck her tongue out at her sister, "Anyway, I think we've been here long enough. Wanna go get dinner?"

A resounding yes came from the rest of her team and they got up to leave, Ruby being the first one out the door.

"So if you don't mind me asking, what happened to Neptune?" Blake asked as they walked.

"He made it clear he was only looking for sex," Weiss said. "And that's not what I'm looking for."

"Well, I know someone isn't getting laid tonight," Yang said, earning a glare from the rest of her team. "Oh lighten up!"

They arrived at the dining hall just as the seafood bar opened, Blake seeming especially interesting in the smoked fish. After a few crude jokes about cats and fish from Yang, they got their dinners and took a seat at their usual table.

"Oh crap," Weiss said suddenly, turning to Neo. "We were supposed to go out for dinner."

"Actually, you never answered me on whether or not we would," Neo replied, remembering their earlier conversation.

Yang smirked, "Wow, forgetting dates already?"

"In our defense, I did black out. That kinda put everything else to side."

"True, but I still should've remembered." Weiss pouted, "I feel bad now."

"Don't," Neo said sweetly. "We can go out tomorrow night. Sound good?"

Weiss nodded and smiled, and the team went back to eating. Shortly after, they were joined by team JNPR and two others, one of whom Weiss was not happy to see.

"Hey, sup guys?" Neptune asked as the group sat down, shooting a wink at Weiss.

Yang's face lit up, "Please let me be the one to tell him."

Weiss glared at her, thankful Neptune hadn't heard, but didn't say no. Dinner went on, becoming increasingly awkward as Neptune continued to hit on his previous date. Neo felt herself growing more and more angry at every flirty thing he said. Thankfully, Weiss was able to keep her under control, but Neo felt her fuse shortening with every word that left his mouth. Eventually he and Sun got up to get dessert, giving the couple, and the rest of team RWBY, a minute to breathe.

"Is everything alright, Neo?" Pyrrha asked. "You look angry."

Neo turned and gave a look to Weiss, who nodded and cleared her throat.

"Yes and no," the heiress spoke softly. "We actually have an announcement."

Neo smiled, taking Weiss' hand, "We um... We're dating."

To say jaws hit the floor was an understatement at team JNPR's reaction. It was a solid thirty seconds before any member had recovered enough to speak.

"Whoa..." Jaune said, sounding both sad and surprised. "That's uh... That was not what I expected to hear."

Pyrrha put her hand on his shoulder, "What he means to say is that's wonderful news, and we're all happy for you."

"R-Right, that's it."

'_Oh, that's right,_' Neo remembered. _'He had a crush on Weiss. I kinda feel bad for him. Having to compete with Neptune must've been tough enough, I can't imagine how he feels now..._'

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to the rest of team JNPR, who had been quiet so far. Ren smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, showing more emotion than was expected. Nora, on the other hand, practically couldn't contain herself at the news.

"Oh my God that's amazing!" she squealed. "You two are so cute together!"

"Shhh! Not so loud!" Weiss said frantically, looking across the way to see if Neptune or Sun had heard.

"Again, can I pleeease be the one to tell him?" Yang begged.

Neo glared over at the blue-haired boy, "If it'll make him shutup, go for it. If he hits on Weiss again, my boot's going straight up his-"

"Calm down," Blake interrupted. "It should be you or Weiss that tells him. No matter how much you don't like what he's doing, he's only flirting because he still thinks she's available."

Yang frowned, "Fun crusher."

"Care to do the honours, Neo?" Weiss asked.

"I would love to," she replied with an evil grin.

The two boys returned with several plates of sweets and assorted desserts for the table, and Ruby was quick to snatch a plate of chocolate chip cookies for herself. Only moments later, Neptune was at it again, sending Neo over the edge.

"So Snow Angel, got any plans tomorrow night?" he asked with a confident smile.

"Yes, actually she does," Neo cut in angrily. "We're going out tomorrow night."

"Oh, that's cool. What about Tuesday?"

"No, I mean we're going out tomorrow. As in a date. She's my girlfriend," Neo said coldly.

Sun nearly choked on a bite of cake at Neo's final sentence, and Neptune stared at the pink-haired girl with a look of shock and disbelief. The tension at the table could've been cut with a knife, and both teams went completely silent, eyes fixed on Neptune as the scene unfolded before them.

"This um... This is a joke right?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. Both girls shook their heads. "Wow... I guess uh, I guess I... I have to go, I'll see you guys later."

He got up in a hurry and left amid the pleas from the table to stay.

Sun got up as well, "I think I'd better go after him, I'll catch up with guys you later. Oh, and congratulations you two. Blake, you're still straight, right?"

His attempt to lighten the mood worked, everyone giggling at the comment. Blake rolled her eyes and nodded, and Sun gave her a thumbs up before taking off after his friend.

"On the bright side, that certainly could've gone worse," Yang said.

Weiss smiled, "I think you handled it well, Neo. Compared to what you were going to do."

"Thanks, but I kinda feel bad. I hope I didn't make him too upset."

A terrible pun from Yang brought the table's attention away from the incident, and they were happily able to resume dinner like any other night. The meal ended and the two teams parted to return to their dorms.

"So what do you guys wanna do for the rest for the rest of the night?" Ruby asked as they arrived back in their room.

"We could always get back to studying," Weiss suggested, earning a scowl from the rest of the team. "Oh fine. I at least want to go check out a few books for from the library."

"I'll do it," Neo offered. "I could use a walk."

"Are you sure? I can go myself, it's not a problem."

Neo nodded and gave her girlfriend a hug before heading out they door. She jumped as she closed it and turned to find Jaune standing behind her.

"Oops, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said. "Hey um, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Um, sure. What's up?"

Jaune sighed, "Alright, here it is: Everyone knows I have a crush on Weiss, and that she never felt that way towards me. It was really hard, especially when Neptune came along and practically swept her off her feet, but I got through it. I realised that what matters more to me is that she's happy, whether it's with me or someone else. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm happy for you two. I just hope you know how special she is, and that she's someone you should never let go of. Ever. I'm sorry if I sound like a jerk saying all this, but I had to get it off my chest."

Neo wiped a tear from her eye and pulled the boy in for a hug, "Jaune, it takes a true man to say what you just said. Thank you, and just hang in there, there are plenty of girls out there who'd kill to land a guy like you."

"Pff, yeah right. If I come by one I'll let you know."

Neo broke the hug and stared up at him, eyes wide open, "Are you being serious right now?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Have you really not noticed the girl who's head-over-heels for you?" she asked. Jaune's look of confusion gave her the answer. "Oh my God! How blind can you be?"

"There's no way, I definitely would notice something like that."

Neo rolled her eyes, "Apparently not. I'll give you a hint: It's starts with a P."

"P? Wait, you mean Penny? The robot girl?" he asked, his confusion only growing.

Neo put her head in her hand, "No, not her. Come on, how many other girls do you know whose names start with P?"

"Well, there's Pyrrha, but she..." he started before a wave of realisation sweep over him.

Neo giggled, "Nice taking with you, Jaune. I'll see you tomorrow."

She left the boy standing open-mouthed in the hallway and went off to check out Weiss' books. Her walk was made more pleasant by the cool night air and chirping of the crickets along the path. She arrived at the library and picked up the necessary books, scanning them at the front desk before heading back to her dorm.

"Good evening, Neo," a voice called out behind her as she made her way back along the path. She jumped and spun to see Professor Ozpin walking her way. "Sorry to startle you."

She laughed, "Don't worry, you're not the first tonight."

"Very well. So tell me, how have you been enjoying the school?" he asked, now walking beside her.

"It's incredible, I've never been happier anywhere in my life. I still can't thank you enough for letting me stay here."

"I'm glad to hear you're adjusting well. I'm also glad to see that only incident you've caused was back in that alley."

Neo froze, "You know about that?"

"Ordinarily, word about things like that travels fast. But in this case, I still had someone watching over you when it happened."

"I uh... I'm really sorry, I-"

"There's no need to defend yourself," Ozpin interrupted. "You reacted that best you knew how, and saved your friend. However, I would advise more caution in the future."

Neo smiled, "Yes sir. Um... am I still under watch?"

"Yes, but just for another few days." he replied as they arrived at the front of the dorms. "I let you get back to your team. Good night."

They parted ways and Neo went inside. She closed the doors and walked to the stairwell, and was caught off guard a third time by someone waiting for her.

Sun waved as she turned the corner, "Hey."

Neo jumped, "Damn it, why is everyone doing that tonight?"

"Sorry. Hey, you got a minute?"

"Yeah I guess, what's up? Nevermind, dumb question. How's Neptune doing?"

"He's not taking it well, that's why I wanted to find you. I've been trying to cheer him up, take his mind off it, but he won't listen. He's pissed. Like, really pissed. I've never seen him act like this. Just wanted to let you know in case he comes after you or something."

Neo smiled, "Thanks for the heads up."

"Alright, I'm gonna get back to the room and check up on him. Later!" Sun waved goodbye and Neo was finally able to return to the dorm.

"What took you so long?" Weiss asked in a surprisingly nice tone as Neo came through the door.

"I got stopped by Jaune, Ozpin and Sun along the way."

Blake looked up from her book, "Everything alright?"

"Mostly. Jaune had to tell me something, Ozpin was just checking up on me, and Sun had an update on Neptune. He's not exactly taking it well."

"I'm not surprised," Yang said, sounding sad. "Not often you lose your girl because she decided to play for the other team."

"Speaking from experience, Yang?" Ruby teased.

"No, but I've been through enough breakups to know what he must be feeling."

Weiss crossed her arms, "But we weren't even dating! We went out as friends once, and I told him I didn't want to take it any further."

Neo shrugged, "Boys are weird."

Weiss sighed and took the books over to her desk. Ruby and Yang were both laying in their beds, not doing much of anything, and Blake had gone back to reading. Neo jumped onto her bed and was ready for a quiet evening, but a knock on the door put an end to that hope.

She got up at opened the door to see Nora smiling mischievously.

"Hey, what's up?" Neo asked, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

"We're about to start a game of truth or dare back in our dorm, Pyrrha said to invite you guys. Wanna come?" Nora answered, poking her head through the door to address the whole team.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Truth or dare? Isn't that a little childish?"

As if on queue, Ruby leapt down from her bunk, "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Yang cheered, joining her sister. "Blake?"

The Faunus sighed and set shaken her book, "Fine. But I'm only gonna pick truth."

"Works for me!" Nora said, turning to Neo and Weiss. "What about you two?"

"I... Alright, we'll come," the heiress replied after seeing the puppy-dog eyes on her girlfriend.

Nora jumped with delight and rushed down the the hall toward her dorm, with team RWBY following at a much more leisurely pace. They arrived at the room and were greeted by the rest of Nora's team, who were sat in a circle on the rug in the center of the room.

"Glad you could come!" Pyrrha said as the group joined her on the floor.

"Let's get started!" Ruby said enthusiastically.

"Any rules we should know?" Blake asked.

"Not many," Jaune answered. "Whoever gets asked asks the next person, and so on. You can't ask the person who just asked you. I think we also agreed that dares can't be anything that could get you expelled."

"And this is more of a house rule," Ren added. "Never take a dare from Nora."

Neo nodded, "Sounds good. Who's starting?"

"I will!" Nora shouted. "Hmm... Weiss! Truth or-"

"Truth," the heiress quickly interrupted.

"Let's see... What's your biggest fear?"

Weiss huffed, "I regret this already. Spiders, I'd have to say spiders. Um... Yang, truth or dare?"

"I'll go truth."

"How partners have you had?"

The blonde smirked, "Interesting question, not what I expected from you. Probably around a dozen, if you mean partners in bed. Alright, Neo, truth or dare?"

"Well, Ozpin still has me under surveillance, and it's you, so truth."

"You're no fun," Yang pouted.

The game progressed, mostly consisting of truths, with a few tame dares now and then. After about fifteen minutes, everyone began to grow more comfortable asking personal questions. About a half hour into the game, all boundaries on questions had gone out the door. Yang and Nora usually asked the most outrageous things out of everyone in the group, including questions about fantasies, masturbation habits and various other related fields. After finishing a dare from Pyrrha to do a lap around the building, it was now Neo's turn.

"Alright, Jaune," she said, a little out of breath from her run. "Truth or dare?"

He grinned, "Dare."

'_Hmm... Oh, I've got it! Let's see how he reacts to this._'

"I dare you to kiss Pyrrha."

The room went silent, and all eyes turned to Pyrrha. The girl's cheeks had turned a bright shade of red. Jaune didn't know it, but everyone else knew about Pyrrha's crush on him, and they guessed this was what she'd been hoping for the entire game. Jaune looked a little apprehensive, but hadn't forgotten what Neo had told him earlier and wanted to see if she had been right.

"Alright then," he said, turning to Pyrrha. "You okay with that?"

"I mean, a dare is a dare," she replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Jaune slowly leant in and their lips met, softly at first, but Pyrrha wanted more. She kissed back harder with each passing second, running her hands along Jaune's back and through his hair. At first he was surprised at her aggressiveness, and almost pulled away, but instead kissed her back with the same ferocity. Ren cleared his throat loudly, and the two finally broke the kiss. Pyrrha's face was new red enough to match Ruby's hood, as was Jaune's. They exchanged as a few sheepish glances before adjusting their positions to get back into the circle.

Neo grinned, "Do you believe me now, Jaune?"

"Yup," he said, smiling at Pyrrha. "Now... I think it's only fair I reciprocate your generosity."

"Ooo look at you trying to sound smart." Neo teased. "You can't ask choose me, I just asked you."

"True, true. Weiss, truth or dare?"

The heiress stopped to think. She wasn't didn't trust what he'd dare her to do, but she'd also shared a lot of information through truths that she want particularly happy about.

"Tr... Da... Tru... Dare," she decided.

Jaune smirked wickedly, "I dare you to kiss Neo. But, I mean like, full on make out."

Weiss froze, "I uh... C-Can I change my answer?"

"What's wrong?" Neo asked, sounding hurt by the statement.

"Well... I haven't had my first kiss yet. I want it to be special."

"If it's with someone you think is special, then it will be special to you," Blake said with a smile.

"You read way too many romance novels," Yang laughed.

Neo put her arm around Weiss, "It's your call, I wouldn't blame you for saying no."

"Since when can you just say no to a dare?" Nora asked. "C'mon, no one else has-"

"That's enough," Jaune interrupted. "You can switch to truth if you want."

Weiss met her girlfriend's tender gaze, "No, Blake's right."

'_Wait, she's going for it?_' Neo thought as her heart started to race. '_Alright then, here we go._'

Neo had kissed a fair number of boys before then, but this was different. Not just that it was her first kiss with a girl, but that it was with Weiss, that it was with her girlfriend. She tilted her head and leant in, placing a somewhat clumsy kiss on the heiress' lips. Neo could feel Weiss' tension melting away as she kissed her more and more passionately, placing her hands on the heiress' waist and the back of her head. When she felt Weiss was ready, she opened her mouth and introduced her tongue, gliding it into the heiress' mouth. Weiss flinched slightly at the intruder, but didn't break away. She began to explore with her own tongue, the two intertwining as the kiss continued to grow more heated.

"Alright you two," Yang said. "Don't get too crazy now."

The couple reluctantly pulled away from each other, a strand of saliva connecting them as they did. Weiss giggled as she wiped string away, a sound that no one had heard from her before.

"That... That was perfect," she said, blushing as she continued to stare into Neo's eyes.

The game went on for another few rounds before the group decided to call it a night. Nora was disappointed she wasn't able to give anyone a dare, but no one else shared that feeling. Team RWBY returned to their room after saying goodnight to everyone, and the five girls crashed onto their beds, surprised at how tired the game had made them.

"So Weiss, are you happy you went?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, yes I am," she replied, turning to Neo with a smile.

Yang yawned, "That was actually a lot of fun, we should do it again sometime."

One by one girls changed into their pajamas and got ready for bed. Neo was amazed at how much had transpired that day, it seemed that all of her wildest dreams had come to fruition. She let out a content sigh as she curled up in her blankets. Blake walked over to turn out the lights, but a knock on the door stopped her.

"Who the hell is that?" Yang groaned from her bunk.

Blake shrugged and opened to door to find Nora and Ren standing outside, each holding a pillow, a sleeping bag and a toothbrush.

Blake looked confused, "Um... Yes?"

"Do you mind if you crash here tonight?" Ren asked.

Ruby sat up, "Is everything okay?"

"Mhm!" Nora said cheerfully. "Jaune and Pyrrha asked if they could have the room to themselves tonight, if you get my meaning."

"Oh, OH!" Blake said, her eyes widening as she realised what Nora was saying.

"Wait, Jaune and Pyrrha are...?" Yang asked. "Damn, good for him!"

Neo rolled her eyes, "You guys can stay here. Do you need blankets or anything?"

Ren shook his head, "No thanks, we'll be fine."

"Here, wait," Ruby said, hopping down from her bunk. "One of you can take my bed, Yang and I can bunk together."

Yang nodded, "Cool! Hey love birds, would you mind sharing a bed tonight?"

"Fine with me," Neo said, looking to Weiss for confirmation.

The heiress blushed, but nodded. She joined Neo in her bed as Ruby hopped up to Yang's bunk, letting Nora and Ren get comfortable before Blake turned out the lights. Another round of goodnights went out before the room fell silent.

"G'night Weiss," Neo whispered, planting a kiss on the heiress' cheek.

Weiss snuggled up with her girlfriend, giving her a kiss in return, "Goodnight."

'_This is greatest day of my life,_' Neo thought as she put her arms around Weiss. '_I can't even think of a way today could've gone better. Well, apart from the whole Neptune thing. But, I did help Jaune and Pyrrha get together. One broken heart, one match, so I guess I broke even. I'm not even surprised they took the room for themselves, if I'd been waiting that long for Weiss I probably wouldn't have been able to stop during the game. I wonder what it'll be like when Weiss and I... I'll save that thought for later, after all, that's a long way off._'

She smiled as she drifted off to sleep, imagining what the future had in store for her and Weiss.

**Hi guys! If you enjoyed this chapter, you'll be happy to know there's plenty of action coming up! Thank you everyone who's followed and favourited, it's awesome to see so many people liking the story. :) Anyway, I'll get back to writing. See ya next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: Repairing the Damage

Chapter 7: Repairing the Damage

The sun rose on everyone's least favourite day of the week: Monday. That is, everyone except for Neo. Growing up the way she had, being up early on most any day of the week was a given, whether it was to pull off a robbery on time, ambush a target, etc. However, today was a little different. It wasn't that she didn't want to be up early, rather she didn't want to stop cuddling with Weiss. Unfortunately for her, Ruby's alarm put an end to that hope. The room was woken up about a half hour earlier than usual to allow Nora and Ren time to shower, since neither one wanted to walk in on Jaune and Pyrrha.

Everyone finished their morning routine and the group proceeded to their first class of the day, which today was Oobleck's lecture. Neo couldn't help laughing to herself at the difference between this and last Monday as they walked through the halls. One week ago, Weiss hated everything about her. Now, the two were walking hand in hand to class. They arrived a few minutes early, and team JNPR was reunited with its other half as they took their seats.

"Hey you two," Yang said with a wink. "What were you crazy kids up to last night?"

Pyrrha blushed, "I don't think we need to get into that."

"Oh come on, we're all friends here, you can-"

"So are you guys finally together?" Ruby interrupted, steering the conversation away from where Yang was leading it.

"Yes, we are." Jaune said, taking Pyrrha's hand, and both teams cheered at the announcement. "And we have Neo to thank for it."

Neo smiled, "Any time! But, I'm sure you'd have gotten together without me."

"You'd be surprised," Yang laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen someone as clueless as he was. How he still didn't get it after the dance is beyond me."

Blake gave her partner a light slap on the head, "Be nice."

Professor Oobleck arrived just in time to stop the two from getting into an argument, and class began. Today's lecture was a continuation from last week, still examining post-war Vacuo. Thankfully, this was the last of such lectures, as it brought the history up to present day. While not Neo's favourite class, she didn't mind listening to Oobleck's caffeine-fuelled babblings. She still had an eagerness to learn, and at the speed the professor rambled at, she was happy to be able to take in such a volume of information in only one class period.

The lecture eventually concluded and the group continued their normal routine: Next was lunch, followed by Professor Port's class. Lunch was fairly uneventful, apart from a little prodding at Jaune and Pyrrha for details about their night together, which neither one was ready to surrender. Team SSSN was nowhere to be seen, giving the impression that Neptune was purposefully avoiding Neo and Weiss, or that Sun was keeping him away from them until the tension was diffused. Either way, Neo couldn't blame them for not coming.

Professor Port's lecture went exactly as expected. What started as a lesson on Ursa Major combat tactics somehow turned into a tale from Port's youth about building a treehouse. The story drug on, testing the patience of every student in the room. Neo noticed even Weiss was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

She yawned, "Hey Weiss, still think we need to take notes on this?"

"Oh hush! You're lucky you're cute."

"Whoa, was that a compliment? I think that's a first."

The lecture continued, getting more and more off topic with every word the professor spoke. Neo hit her breaking point around the time that a tire swing came into the story, and finally leant over to rest her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Nooothing," Neo replied as cutely as possible, nuzzling into the crook of the heiress' neck.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but didn't push the girl away. Instead, she leant her own head against Neo's. They nodded off to sleep, both smiling, until Blake shook them awake at the end of class.

"You two are so cute," the Faunus commented as they gathered their things.

"Too bad your names don't make a good couples name," Yang said. "Neoss, Weio, Neiss... They're terrible!"

Nora's face suddenly lit up, "WAIT! I've got it! Your full name is Neapolitan, like the ice cream. What about... Weiss Cream!?"

Weiss dropped her books, all the colour draining from her face, "If any of you ever call us that I swear-"

"IT'S PERFECT!" Ruby interrupted, ignoring her partner completely.

Both teams laughed, except for Weiss, who resembled an angry cartoon character with steam coming from their ears. Neo quickly wrapped her in a bear hug to keep her from killing Nora and Ruby, and eventually the group left to go to combat training. They arrived on time and took their seats in the arena stands, Weiss still fuming despite having a long walk to get there to calm down.

Yang laughed, "Jeez, are you really that mad about the name?"

"Of course I am!" the heiress exclaimed. "It's so childish and stupid!"

"I kinda like it," Neo giggled, earning a death stare from her girlfriend.

"Are you serious!? How could you even-?"

Weiss was interrupted by Professor Goodwitch as she walked out into the ring, "Good afternoon students! As you know, this is our last class together before your exam on Wednesday, so I expect your best effort today. We'll get started right away with... Cardin Winchester against Neptune Vasilias."

Neo looked over to team SSSN's usual spot, and saw only three of its members sitting there. She made eye contact Sun, who shook his head.

He stood up, "Neptune isn't here, he's uh... feeling a little under the weather."

"Very well, why don't you come take is place in this match?"

Yang leant over to Blake, "Is he really taking it that hard that he can't come to class?"

"Apparently so. Neo, Weiss, one of you should talk to him."

Neo looked up, "I'll do it. After all, I'm probably the one he's more upset with."

The group's attention was pulled back to the ring as Glynda signalled the start of the match. Both Sun and Cardin charged at each other, but Sun struck first. Cardin landed a few good hits throughout the match, but in the end Sun was just too fast for him. The match was eventually called for Sun, and Professor Goodwitch came back out to announce the next. Yang now squared off against Jaune, but it was hardly a contest. Yang went easy, but still won without breaking a sweat. Neo didn't pay much attention to the next fights, she was more concerned with what she was going to say to Neptune. When nothing came to mind after almost half the class period was over, she decided just to wing it, which didn't make her feel any more confident at how it would go.

"The next match will be Neapolitan versus Blake Belladona," Goodwitch announced, bringing Neo out of her thoughts.

The two entered the arena and took their positions at either end. While Neo may not have felt up to fighting, Beo had no such issue. She took over as the match began, and stood with a sniff expression to let her opponent make the first move. Blake's fighting style combined with her semblance gave Beo the first real challenge in combat she'd had in a long time, apart from the four-on-one match with JNPR. The Faunus' speed and agility pushed Beo's ability to dodge and parry to its limits, and she found herself having to resort to using her umbrella to deflect the attacks far more than usual. The match was very close, both girls seeming equally matched, until a series of opportune strikes sent Beo into the ground, and ended the fight with Blake the victor. Glynda called the match, and Neo laid still for a moment while she returned to normal.

Blake extended a hand to help her up, "That was a good fight. I really thought you were gonna take it at the end."

"Me too," Neo replied, returning to her feet. "I'd love a rematch at some point."

"You're on. I'll see if I can reserve a spot here tomorrow."

They returned to their seats and the matches continued until the end of class. The bell rang and group got up and shuffled to the exit with the rest of the students, ready to head back to the dorms. However, Neo didn't want to waste any time in finding Neptune.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later," she said, looking through the crowd. "I need to go talk to Sun."

"Alright," Ruby answered. "We'll be over in the courtyard if you need us."

"Actually, I think I'll just head back to the room to review some notes," Weiss added.

Neo nodded and turned to begin her search. Unfortunately for her, team SSSN had left through the exit on the other side of the arena, making Neo's efforts to find Sun harder than expected. She worked her way through the crowd and reached the exit, scanning the pathways for any sign of the monkey Faunus. Luckily, his tail made him easy to distinguish.

"Hey Sun!" she called out as she ran after him, catching his attention.

"Huh? Oh, hey Neo! What's up?"

"Do you know where Neptune is? I need to talk to him."

Sun thought a moment, "I think he said he was going to the library to be alone. He-"

"Perfect, thanks!"

She turned to leave, but Scarlet grabbed her arm to stop her, "Hey, just be careful. He's already angry enough, don't send him over the edge."

Neo nodded, "Got it."

She ran to the library, hoping to catch him if he hadn't already left. She arrived and looked around, but couldn't find him anywhere in the open, not that she had expected to.

'_Figures, he's probably in one of the private study rooms,_' she thought. '_Guess I'll just have to start knocking._'

She got right to it, moving from room to room, but after almost twenty minutes she was starting to think he'd already left. With a sigh, she turned to leave, but something caught her eye across the way. She turned to see a blue-haired boy darting from the men's room and into a study lounge, slamming the door behind him. Without wasting any more time, she ran over and knocked on the door.

"Sorry, this room's taken," Neptune said from inside. Ignoring him, Neo turned the handle and walked in. "I said this... Oh..."

"Hey Neptune," Neo said calmly, shutting the door behind her. "Can we talk?"

He glared at her, "No, just get out."

"Please? We're all really worried about you, and-"

"I said get out! God damn, just fuck off!" he yelled, but Neo didn't flinch.

"I'm not leaving until we talk about this, whether you like it or not."

"I... Fine..." Neptune sighed and sat down, burying his face in his hands.

Neo pulled up a chair next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. She expected his response to be another angry comment, or even a physical reaction. Instead, he broke down and started to cry, catching Neo completely by surprise.

He looked up at her in tears, "Happy now? Is this what you wanted, to see me like this?"

"Neptune, that's not why I'm here," Neo replied, pulling him into a hug. "I want to help you. You don't need to try to be cool here, I won't judge you. Whatever you say stays between us."

He wiped his eyes, "Alright, I guess. I just, I don't understand it. Weiss and I were a sure thing. I know I was a little too forward, but..."

"You need to let this go. It's not healthy to obsess over it."

"Easy for you to say! What if she'd gone for me and not you? You'd be the same way right now!" Neptune exclaimed. Neo went to respond, but couldn't think of what to say. "Exactly. I know you mean well, but you're not gonna be able to help me."

"Alright, I admit I wouldn't be doing any better. But, you know what? If it were me hiding it in here, and you came looking for me to try to cheer me up, I know I'd feel better knowing someone wanted to help."

He sighed, "You don't get it. I just... I've never felt like this about anyone before. She's... perfect. In every way. I'll never find someone like her again."

Neo chuckled, "You remind me of another boy who also had a crush on Weiss."

"Who, Jaune?"

"Yeah. He was so crazy about Weiss, he never even noticed Pyrrha. Oh, that's right! You missed it, they're a couple now!"

"Wait, really?" Neptune asked in surprise. "Damn, good for him!"

"Yeah, that seems to be everyone's reaction. But anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that maybe there's an even more perfect girl you've been overlooking. If you're hiding in here moping over Weiss, you'll never find her."

"Huh... That actually does kinda help," Neptune said with a faint smile. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you love her?"

"W-What?" Neo asked, caught off guard by the question.

Neptune sighed, "She deserves to be happy, to be with someone that cares about her more than anything else in the world. I want that to be me, but if she would rather be with you, then I have no right to stand in the way of her happiness. I just have to know, do you love her?"

'_Love her?_' Neo thought. '_We've been together for a day, it's way too early for that, isn't it? I mean, I really like her, she's amazing, but... No, no buts. She perfect, I don't think I could feel like this about anyone else. No, I couldn't, because there won't ever be a someone else_.'

She smiled, "Yeah... I do. I love her, more than anything."

Neptune smiled back, but Neo knew inside his heart was breaking. She hugged him again, harder than before, and he hugged back.

"Then I wish you two nothing but the best," he said, his voice cracking as he tried to hold back from crying again.

"That means a lot from you, thank you. Now come on, let's get back to the dorms. I'm sure your team will be happy to see you're okay."

"You go ahead, I need another minute," he replied, wiping his eyes. Neo gave him a worried look, and he smiled. "Don't worry, I'm alright. I just want to pull myself together before I leave. Can't be seen crying like this, ya know?"

"Alright. I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

He nodded, "You bet."

Neo got up and walked to the door, and gave one last look back at the blue-haired boy before she left. He didn't look like he was back to his old self, and she didn't expect him to be, but he certainly looked better than he had when she walked in. She smiled, happy that she'd actually been able to help him. She left the library and went directly to team SSSN's room, knocking vigorously on this door when she arrived.

"Jeez, what's the hurry?" Sun asked as he opened in the door. "Oh, hey Neo. Did you find Neptune?"

"Yeah, I did. We talked for a bit, and I think he's gonna be alright."

"Really? Oh thank God. Neo, you're the best," Sun said with a sigh of relief.

She blushed, "Thanks. He should be on his way back here now."

"Cool. Alright, well I need to get back to studying for that dumb plant test tomorrow. I'll catch you later."

They said goodbye and Sun closed the door, and Neo decided to go meet Weiss back in their room. She was surprised when she arrived to see the door was wide open.

"Hey Weiss, why'd you leave the door open?" she asked, receiving no answer. "Hello? Huh, guess she went out somewhere."

She closed the door behind her and turned to see the window wide open, the wind blowing the curtains around wildly. She rushed over and shut the window, and groaned when she turned to see the mess it had created. With a sigh, she began picking up papers that had been strewn around the room.

'_First the door, then the window? How much of a hurry was she in?_' Neo thought as a folded note with her name on it caught her eye. '_A note? Why wouldn't she just message me on her scroll? Wait, this isn't even her handwriting._'

Suspicious, she picked it up and began reading it in her head, '_Neo, I hope you've had an enjoyable first week of school. Unfortunately, it's time we got back to business. I'm very disappointed with the choices you've made. I'd hoped to bring you back on my operation, but you've made it clear that won't be the case. So now, what to do with you? At first we were going to take with your redheaded leader to get your attention, but you gave us a much better target yesterday. Don't worry, we won't hurt her, so long as you cooperate. Be at the address attached at the bottom of this letter at midnight, and we'll have little a discussion about what happens next. Regards, Cinder._'

The note slipped from Neo's hands, her entire body frozen in horror.

'_Oh my God, she has Weiss!? How? How did she find me here? Emerald and Mercury, we had a deal! Why would they...? Fuck it, fuck it all! It doesn't matter anymore, I need to get Weiss back. What do I do? I can't just meet Cinder, she'll kill us both, I know it. I have to go to Ozpin._'

Neo snatched the note off the ground and sprinted from the dorms. She was in complete shock, her whole body feeling numb, but she still ran as fast as her legs allowed her. She knew that Cinder was lying about not hurting Weiss as well, and didn't want to think of what was happening to her girlfriend right now because of her.

_'I never should've made that agreement. I knew it would come back to haunt me, but I never imagined like this. Fuck! How could I be so fucking stupid?_'

She charged up the stairs to Ozpin's office as tears started to well in her eyes.

She flung open the doors, "Professor Ozpin! Weiss has-"

She stopped mid-sentence at what she saw inside. Ozpin stood with his back to the door, General Ironwood to his left. Neo's eyes went straight past them and to the white-haired girl they were facing. It was Weiss, her clothes covered in dirt, her face and hands as well, along with numerous cuts and bruises.

"Neo!" the heiress exclaimed, running across the room to hug her girlfriend.

Neo was utterly confused, "Weiss, you're okay! But, Cinder? The note, what?"

"Perhaps I can clear some things up," Ozpin said, turning you the two. "Your teammate is very lucky. One of my informants found the note in your room, and General Ironwood sent troops to retrieve her after it was brought to our attention. Unfortunately, her captors eluded custody. What the general's men report about the kidnappers is somewhat... disturbing. All three of them are in our student database under the names Emerald, Mercury and Cinder as visiting for the Vytal Festival. I have a feeling you might know a little more about them, and their real reason for being here. I also understand you've had contact with two of them while you were here. Care to explain?"

Neo looked down at her feet, "Yes sir. Emerald and Mercury work for Cinder, like I did. Last week they came up to me after class, and at first I thought they'd been sent to kill me, but they weren't. We had an agreement that I wouldn't tell anyone about them if they didn't tell Cinder I was here. I didn't want to do it, but I was afraid if I came to you, Cinder would come after me and my team, but I guess she had it in mind to do that anyway."

"You skipped the first part," Ironwood interjected. "Why are they here at all?"

"I-I don't know. Cinder never told me any of her long term plans, my job was just to guard Roman."

Ozpin calmly sipped his coffee, "First, let me say I'm very disappointed that you would not come to me immediately with that kind of information. You're very lucky that Miss Schnee wasn't more seriously hurt, and I doubt you'd be so lucky again. I'm going to ask you now if there is anything else you know that you're keeping from me. I'm willing to overlook this incident and call it a minor a lapse in judgment, but should I find you've withheld anything else, I'll be forced to turn you over to the general. So, I want you to think very hard before you answer. Is there something more you wish to tell me?"

"No sir," Neo said after a moment.

Ozpin nodded, "Very well. Should you remember anything, I advise you come to me before I find out for myself. I won't levy any sort of punishment against you per-say, however, I'll be extending my watch over you indefinitely. That will be all."

"That's it?" Ironwood asked angrily. "You're simply letting her go? Ozpin, the Vytal Festival is less than a month away, we can't have liabilities like her compromising its security! Asher what's just happened, I'll be stationing guards throughout this campus to ensure that Miss Schnee's captors, or anyone else from their operation for that matter, won't step foot in this school. As for Neo, she will be coming with me for further interrogation, and-"

"She will do no such thing," Ozpin sternly interrupted. "I've had her under close watch since her arrival, and I have no reason to suspect she poses any threat to the school, the festival, or anyone else."

The general sighed, "You may have forgotten, but I've been appointed as head of security for this event, and I will not allow anyone here who is a risk to the safety of the people."

"And if I should come across anyone whom I feel is, I'll let you know right away. Now then, Neo, Weiss, the two of you are dismissed. The general and I need to speak in private."

The girls nodded and quickly left the room, Ironwood glaring at Neo until they were out of sight. Weiss closed the doors behind them, and Neo dropped the ground the instant they shut, unable to contain her emotions.

"Weiss, I'm so sorry," she said in tears. "I never thought-"

Weiss didn't wait for her to finish, "What the hell were you thinking!? How could you make an agreement like that?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't want you guys to get hurt, and-"

"Well look how that worked out! You can't just-" Weiss stopped web she turned and saw the look of despair in her girlfriend's eyes. She sighed and collected her thoughts. "Neo, I know you meant well, but you should've known better than to trust them."

"I know, I know! I-I didn't want to do it, but I... I just... I don't even know. Weiss, I'm so sorry, please forgive me."

The heiress' gaze softened, and she took a seat beside Neo on the floor, "I forgive you. Just promise me you won't keep secrets like that anymore."

"I promise," Neo replied weakly.

"Good, now let's go," Weiss said, standing up and pulling Neo to her feet. "I want to get back to the room, I really need to lay down."

"Of course," Neo replied, taking her girlfriend's hand and leading her back to the dorms.

"So, did you get to talk to Neptune?" Weiss asked as they approached their room.

"Mhm! He didn't want to at first, but I got through to him. He's gonna be just fine."

"I'm glad to hear that."

They arrived at their room and were greeted by that rest of their team, who had already been informed of what happened via a message from Ozpin on their scrolls. Weiss got into bed as Neo explained what she had told Ozpin. The team wasn't happy with her, but what they cared about more was that both her and Weiss were alright. She was relieved they weren't angrier, and turned back to Weiss.

She walked over and kissed the heiress' forehead, "Get some rest, we still have a date tonight if you're feeling up to it."

"It'll take a lot more than this to make me miss it," Weiss smiled, and was asleep within minutes.

"I've never seen Weiss this happy before," Blake said, looking over at Neo. "I don't think she's smiled this much since Zwei was here. You've made a real impression on her."

"No kidding," Yang added. "You might've actually melted the ice queen's frozen heart."

Neo smiled, "I've never been this happy before either. I know it's only been a week since we met, and a day since we got together, but I don't think there's any doubt about it in my mind... I love her."

"Awww!" came in unison from the rest of the team, making her blush.

Ruby giggled, "So, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Neo replied.

"Can we pleeeease call you two Weiss Cream?"

**Hi guys! If you liked the chapter, I'd love your feedback on what you want to see more of, so please leave a review if you've got something to say. Chapters will probably start to be published more sporadically now that classes have started up again, and it looks like my homework load will not be kind to me. Blame my calculus professor. Anyway, next chapter will be focused on Weiss and Neo, so if you're a fan of "steamy" romance, stick around. ;) See ya next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Uncharted Territory

**Hello again! Sorry this one took so long, but, you know, school and stuff. I'm putting my notes at the start here just to warn everyone that I'm trying my hand at some smut at the end of this chapter, so if that's not your cup of tea, feel free to skip over it. Now that that's out of the way, let me again say thank you to everyone who's read this far. I saw I passed 5,000 views today, and have 80 followers as of now. I'm glad you're all enjoying the story, and I'll make sure to keep giving you more. As always, leave a review if you've got something you'd like to share, and now, without further ado, the next chapter!**

Chapter 8: Uncharted Territory

Three weeks passed after Weiss' attempted kidnapping, and things at Beacon had returned to normal. Well, mostly. Neptune was back to his old self, and team SSSN could once again rejoin the group with RWBY and JNPR. Weiss had expected things between them to be awkward for a while, but to her surprise he had no trouble at all being around her and Neo. General Ironwood did exactly has he said and stationed soldiers to patrol the campus day and night. Students were required to show ID when entered the campus and certain buildings around the school, and occasionally guards would stop students on their way to class for random checks as well. Ozpin was furious, but his hands were tied. He did however inform Neo after a week that he'd ended his watch on her.

With the Vytal Festival on Friday, now only four days away, today marked the beginning of a long awaited break from classes, lasting until the following Friday when the festival concluded. Combat training the week before consisted of qualifying matches for the tournament, which all teams took very seriously. Pyrrha and Blake qualified with outstanding scores, not to anyone's surprise. Sun, Neptune, Scarlett, Weiss, Ruby and Ren all qualified as well. Neo's score had also been high enough to participate, but Ironwood refused to let her compete. Ozpin did his best to enter her, but in the end the general's word was final.

"I can't believe him!" Yang said angrily, pacing in a circle. It was just past two in the afternoon, and the members of team RWBY were gathered in their dorm. Neo had just returned from Ozpin's office with the final verdict on her admittance to the tournament. She was sat on her bed, Weiss at her side, understandably upset.

Blake shook her head, "It's not fair, you haven't done enough wrong enough to justify this."

"It's not his fault," Neo sighed. "Ozpin said he tried his best to get me in, but Ironwood wouldn't budge."

"Maybe you could convince him yourself?" the Faunus said hopefully.

"How? I know I haven't gotten into trouble, and my grades are above average so he can see I've been working hard, but unless I hand him Cinder's head on a silver plate, I doubt he'll change his mind."

Weiss stroked Neo's hair, "It's still worth a try. The worst he can do is still say no. Besides, you're too cute to say no to in person."

Neo smiled at her girlfriend's compliment. Since the day they started dating, Weiss had becomea whole new person, at least while they were in each other's company. Her cold, proper, almost snobby attitude transformed into one more free spirited, compassionate, and altogether more fun to be around. In the first week they were together, Weiss' limit on public displays of affection stopped at holding hands. But, after Neo pulled her into a long kiss to celebrate her admittance to the tournament in from of virtually the whole school, that limit quickly disappeared. She was still afraid to tell her father since he would likely forbid the two from seeing each other, but knew that one day he'd find out on his own, and that telling him herself would hopefully make it go over more smoothly. Either way, she didn't want that day to come any time soon.

Lately, Neo's mind had been a little preoccupied with taking their relationship to the next level. With how often Jaune and Pyrrha spent the night together, it was hard to resist the thought her and Weiss doing the same. However, seeing where Neptune's forwardness had landed him made her somewhat afraid to make the move so soon. Still, with how fast every other aspect of their relationship had progressed thus far, she felt that simply suggesting it couldn't cause too much harm if the heiress weren't ready yet.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Weiss asked, waving a hand in front of Neo's face.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, of course," Neo replied as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Something about Ironwood and me being cute."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Just talk to him, please?"

"Alright, I'll go to Ozpin's office tomorrow to see if he can tell me where to find him."

"Good. So, what do you guys want to do with our first day off?"

Blake looked up from her book, "I'm fine just laying here reading."

"We know," Yang laughed. "Can't get enough of those 'Ninjas of Love' can you?"

"Oh shut up."

Ruby hopped down from her bunk, "You guys wanna head into town for the day? I think the movie theatre is showing the new 'Mad King Ryan' movie."

Weiss shrugged, "Sure, I'd be up for that. Maybe after we could go someplace nice for dinner? My treat."

"That's very nice of you," Blake said. "Sounds like fun."

Yang perked up at the thought of her team in a classy restaurant, "Count me in! But don't expect me to use any proper manners at dinner."

"That would require you to have proper manners in the first place," Weiss smirked.

Neo laughed, "Be nice. Count me in too."

"Then it's decided!" Ruby cheered. "We'll head out in a minute, I wanna go see if team JNPR wants to come along."

Their leader dashed out of the room in a flurry of rose petals, and the rest of the team got ready to leave. Neo was a little disappointed to be spending the rest of the afternoon together as a team, since she'd been hoping to get some alone time with Weiss.

'_I suppose I could try after we get back,_' she thought, heading to the bathroom to fix her makeup. '_No, everyone will be tired and not want to go anywhere once we get back, and I'm certainly not about to kick them out. I should probably try to get some advice first too, it's not like I have any experience. Maybe Yang can help, she seems to get around a lot, she's probably slept with a girl before. And if not, I'm sure she'll have something helpful to say._'

Neo exited the bathroom as Ruby returned alone, looking a little disappointed.

"They're busy tonight," the redhead said sadly. "Anyway, there's a showing in a half hour, so we've got a little time to get there. We should probably leave now to be safe though."

Neo decided to take this opportunity to talk alone with Yang, "I'll meet you guys there in a little bit. Yang, can you help me with something quick?"

The blonde looked confused, "Um, alright? You guys go ahead, we'll catch up."

"Sounds good!" Ruby replied, and departed with the rest of the team.

"So whatdya need help with?" Yang asked.

Neo took a seat on her bed, already feeling nervous, "Actually, I was hoping I could get some... advice from you."

That slight hesitation told the brawler all she needed to know for what their conversation would be about, "Oooo I know where this is going!"

"Oh God, please don't make a big deal out of it!"

Yang shrugged, "No promises. So whatdya wanna know?" Surprisingly, she didn't seem to be bothered by the subject of discussion. Not that that was a bad thing, but it was certainly unexpected.

Neo blushed, "Um... Anything and everything, I guess. I wanna make sure I'm doing everything right. I don't have any experience with this, and I doubt Weiss does either."

"Just to be clear, you're taking about what to do in bed, right?" Yang asked, receiving a nod. "Alright. Well first, lemme see your hands."

Neo complied, "Okay, why?"

"Gotta make sure your nails are trimmed. Yours look good, and I'll assume Weiss keeps hers groomed as well. So, you're saying you've never done anything below the waist before? Like, not even by yourself?"

Neo's face reddened even more, "I mean, on my own yes, but not with anyone else, boy or girl."

"Well, on another girl you pretty much just to do the same things you'd do to yourself. What works for you will probably get her off too."

"Alright. What about... like... going down?" Neo asked, shifting her position. The conversion felt incredibly awkward to her, and the colour of her cheeks reflected it. Luckily, Yang didn't share that feeling.

"Just use your tongue like you would use your finger, you're still basically doing the same stuff. Although, I'd be careful if I were you. I imagine licking Weiss is like licking a metal pole in winter. Oh, make sure you both shave before you do. It makes finding everything the first time easier, and it's just nicer in general."

Neo laughed, "Find everything? Is it really that hard to find?"

"Not really, but your nerves will probably get the best of you at first, so being able to see what you're doing is nice."

"Okay. Anything else I should know?"

Yang thought for a minute, "The best advice I can give is to go slow and ease into it, no need to rush to good stuff right away. Have a little foreplay, be sensual, be romantic. I'm guessing it'll be her first time too, so you'll want to make sure it's special."

"I'll be sure I do," Neo said with a smile. "Thanks Yang, I'm glad I can come to you for stuff like this."

"No problem!" the blonde cheerfully replied. "So are you gonna make the move tonight? I can get everyone out of the room if you need me to."

Neo shook her head at first, but then stopped after giving it a little more thought.

'_I suppose I could try tonight. I mean, what's the worst she could say? I wouldn't push it on her, just bring it up and see how she reacts._'

She shrugged, "I guess it'll depend. I was planning on getting some alone time with her tonight, but I don't know if I want to go for it yet."

Yang smiled, "Well, gimme a signal later if you want the room to yourselves. Anything else you wanna ask?"

"I think that's it, at least for now," Neo said, relieved that the most awkward conversation she'd had to date was over.

"Okie dokie. C'mon then, let's go catch up with everyone before they get too far ahead."

The two grabbed their purses and hurried out the door in pursuit of their teammates. They caught up with them rather quickly, since the group had been stopped for a random ID check not long after leaving the dorms. The group was stopped again as they left the campus, much to the annoyance of the girls. The guards were very suspicious of Neo leaving, but had no grounds to stop her.

"Assholes," Yang commented once they were out of earshot.

"They're only doing their jobs," Blake replied. "Ironwood's just being cautious. I'm not saying I agree with him, but still."

"That doesn't mean they're not assholes."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Can you go fifteen minutes without making a rude comment?"

"Nope," Yang said with a wide smile.

The weather outside was much colder than expected, making the girls regret their usual choice of wardrobe as the walked. The wind and cloud cover didn't do anything to help either. The team arrived at the movie theatre shivering, expect for Yang, whose semblance acted like her own personal space heater. They bought their tickets and popcorn and, after prying Ruby away from the candy case, hurried to their seats as the last of the previews ended.

Having not seen the first movie in the series, Neo was very lost as the plot got underway, but she didn't mind. She spend the majority of the film cuddling up against Weiss as best the seats would allow. Weiss did her best to fill her in on backstory when needed, but gave up near the end of the movie, seeing as Neo wasn't paying much attention anyway. The credits rolled at the end of film and the team stood up to stretch. They shuffled out of the aisle and stopped at the restroom before exiting the theatre.

"That was awesome!" Ruby said as they walked, looking around at her teammates to see if they shared her excitement. "What'd you guys think?"

Blake shrugged, "The first one was better. I didn't like how they made Mogar into a superhero. It was alright though."

"I wasn't a huge fan of the first movie, but I thought it was pretty good," Weiss added.

Yang was quick to side with Ruby, "Pretty good? It was amazing! I thought I was gonna die laughing when Edgar escaped the second time!"

This sparked a heated debate between the four girls, which Neo simply watched with amusement. She would've let them continue all night, but a low rumbling reminded her of the second part of their day out.

"So Weiss, where're we going for dinner?" she asked, interrupting the argument.

"Hmm... Let's see," the heiress said, considering her options. "There's a very high class restaurant a few blocks from here. Normally you need reservations a few weeks in advance, but I think I could get us in."

"What do the portion sizes look like?" Yang asked. "If their idea of a meal is smaller than an appetizer, count me out." The rest of the team agreed with her, leaving Weiss to come up with another option.

"Alright, well there's a rather pricy steak and seafood place by the docks we could go to."

Ruby gave her a puzzled look, "Didn't that get destroyed when we fought Roman at the docks?"

"No, you're thinking of a boating shop," Weiss replied. "Anyway, does that sound good for everyone?"

The team nodded their heads in approval and they followed Weiss to the restaurant. It was packed when they arrived, with a sign out front saying to expect a forty-five minute wait. However, being a Schnee, Weiss was able to get them in with no wait at all. A waiter took them to a larger table in the center of the room, and handed them menus before taking their drink orders and returning to the kitchen. Neo found she liked the atmosphere inside. The decor was mostly made of wood, with a lot of elements of the outdoors, including a few mounted game heads.

The waiter returned quickly with their drinks and pulled out a notepad to take their orders. Yang went all in and ordered large a surf and turf special, while Weiss went with a more modest chicken salad. Blake chose a salmon fillet, which brought on another round of jokes about cats and fish from Yang. Ruby ordered a simple sirloin, and finally Neo decided on a rack of ribs. The waiter put the orders in and, after the promise of a large tip from Weiss, had their food brought out in record time. The team fell silent as they all dug in, only returning to conversation once their plates were half empty.

"Hey Neo, I hope you can get used to this," Yang said with a mouthful of steak. "With all the money Weiss has, this'll just be your usual Monday night."

Weiss scowled, "Just because I come from wealth doesn't mean I always want to flash it around. I enjoy eating in the dining hall or at a little burger joint just as much as I would here."

"Either way, I wouldn't mind," Neo smiled, giving the heiress a peck on the cheek. "What matters is it's with you."

Weiss smiled back, "You are so sweet." She leant over and gave her girlfriend a kiss on the lips, earning an "Awww" from the rest of the team.

Dinner continued with some conversations about the upcoming festival and school work, and finally came to an end when the girls decided they'd left no room for dessert. Weiss paid the check and left a hefty tip before the team got up and started the walk back to Beacon. With the sun having already set, the walk back was even colder than the walk down, with all of the girls now huddled around Yang to keep from freezing. They arrived at the gates and prepared for a full integration from the guards, but luckily they had left their posts to get out of the cold. The group finally arrived back in their dorm dove under the covers of their beds, desperate to warm up. Neo and Weiss snuggled up in the heiress' bed, each happy to have the warmth of the other.

"You guys are babies," Yang laughed as she took a seat on her own bed.

Ruby stuck her tongue out, "Easy for you to say, you can't get cold!" Her sister responded with the same gesture before laying back on her pillow. "Well other than the cold, everyone have fun today?"

"Mhm," Neo replied, turning Weiss' head to give her a kiss. "I'm alright with the cold, it gives me an excuse to cuddle."

Weiss laughed and kissed her back, "As if you'd need an excuse in the first place." She went to pull away, but Neo kept her where she was, keeping their lips locked until Blake pretended to caught to get them to stop.

_'I hope Yang wasn't kidding about getting everyone out_,' Neo thought as she finally broke the embrace, letting Weiss catch her breath. She turned to the blonde and raised her eyebrows twice in quick succession.

Yang grinned and slid off her bunk, "Hey Ruby, Blake, can I talk to you guys in the hall quick?"

"Um, sure. Is everything okay?" Blake asked, looking concerned.

"Of course! Just come outside for a second," the blonde insisted. Ruby groaned, not wanting to get out of bed, but eventually followed Blake and Yang out of the room. Before she closed the door, Yang turned back to Neo and Weiss. "Have fun you two," she said with a wink, and shut the door.

Weiss gave her girlfriend a confused look, "What's going on with her?"

"I uh..." Neo started, instantly turning a bright shade of red. "I asked her if we could have the room to ourselves for a while."

"You...?" the heiress trailed off, not taking long to guess the implications. "Wait, are saying...?"

"N-no! Well..." Neo stammered, afraid she was being too forward. "I mean, not necessarily. We don't have to do anything at all if you want. I just wanted us to have some time to ourselves, since we haven't really had any."

"You seriously kicked the rest of the team out so we could... mess around?" Weiss asked hesitantly. Neo was already regretting her decision, but it was too late to go back.

"W-Well, not exactly. I'm sorry, it's just been hard not to think about it with how often Jaune and Pyrrha are together. Look, forget I asked. I'll call Yang and get everyone-"

"No!" Weiss interrupted, sounding far more eager than she had planned to. "I mean... I'm not saying no, but let's just take it one step at a time."

"Of course, of course," Neo replied, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder.

The heiress smiled shyly, her mind now in the same place Neo's had been.

'_Shit, I think I might've killed the mood before it even started,_' Neo thought sadly.

Undeterred, she pulled her girlfriend's face in close to hers, their lips meeting tenderly at first. Neo hadn't realised it, but Weiss had also been preoccupied over the past week thinking about the two of them taking things to the next level, although she was far too shy about the subject to admit it then. But that didn't matter here, and now all of the heiress' desires finally came out. She kissed back hungrily, taking Neo completely by surprise.

Neo wasn't about to tell her to stop though, and quickly matched her girlfriend's fervour. Weiss rolled onto her back, pulling Neo down on top of her and continued to explore the girl's mouth with her tongue. She felt along Neo's back, finding the zipper at the top of her jacket and slowly started to pull it down. Meanwhile, Neo was running her hands through the heiress' hair, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through her. Her thoughts blurred as she started to slip out of the top, but that in turn left her guard down.

She gasped suddenly and jumped back, tightly shutting her eyes and pulling her arms into her chest.

Weiss shot upright, "Neo? Did I do something? What's wrong?"

"Just... I need... Fuck! Beo!" she managed to say through heavy breaths before curling up and laying down on her side.

Weiss moved across the bed and pulled Neo into her lap, stroking the girl's head as she tried to keep herself from making the transition. The episode finally ended, and Neo blinked a few times as she got her bearings. Weiss helped her to sit up and handed her a bottle of water from the dresser.

"Are you okay?" the heiress asked, receiving nod from Neo as she chugged the bottle.

"Y-Yeah... That was... something..." she trailed off, turning to Weiss with a goofy smile.

"What's with that look?"

"Well, normally after switching, or when I come close to switching, I have a bunch of memories of what Beo was thinking at the time," Neo explained. "The things Beo had in mind were... interesting to say the least."

Weiss looked intrigued, "Go on."

Neo smiled and shook her head, "Let's see... There was a lot of rope, a gag, some leather, a whip... Yang's right, she's into some messed up stuff."

"I always get confused when you talk about it like she's another person, it's still you, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Like I said, it'd be like if you suddenly thought like Ruby. We're the same person, just two different personalities. So, I guess technically that means I'm into some really messed up stuff."

To Neo's surprise, the heiress grinned, "You never know, maybe one day..."

"I think that'd be a really bad a idea," she said with a very serious look on her face. "Remember the alley? Think of the difference between that and a normal fight, and then think of how that would apply to sex."

Weiss only shrugged, "Like I said, maybe one day. Could be fun."

"Wow, I never thought you'd be into that," Neo said with a mischievous smile.

"Well see," the heiress replied, wearing the same grin. "But for now, let's not get too crazy. Be gentle."

'_Wait... she actually wants to? Still? Holy shit, it's really happening! Alright, alright, you can do this, just remember Yang's advice._'

Neo nodded and pulled Weiss back to her, getting right back to where they'd left off, only being more mindful of her emotions. She pulled off her jacket and moved her hands around Weiss' back, removing the girl's own bolero jacket. The two continued their passionate kiss as they kicked off their heels, Neo having a little trouble undoing her laces, which Weiss giggled at. Those were the only articles of clothing that could be removed without crossing into a whole new area for the couple, and they were both very unsure of how to proceed.

That wasn't about to stop Neo though, and she was the first to make the next move. Not breaking their kiss, she moved a hand up Weiss' side and onto her breast, slowly starting to massage the soft mound. A low moan of pleasure gave her the reassurance she needed to keep going. Neo continued to fondle the heiress' chest, the girl's moans growing louder and louder, the vibrations passing through Neo's lips and through her body. She helped Weiss clumsily slip out of her combat skirt, leaving her in only an ice-blue lace bra and panties.

"You have a beautiful body," Neo said shyly, blushing at her own words.

Weiss blushed as well, "Th-Thank you... Now it's your turn." She reached behind Neo and started to undo the lacing on her corset. The top came off, revealing a cream coloured bra, and Weiss sighed. "Why does everyone have bigger boobs than me?"

Neo smiled, "There's nothing wrong with your boobs. I like them just the way they are."

She undid her belt and slid out of her pants, leaving her and Weiss both in just their underwear. If it weren't before, now the next move was truly uncharted territory. Neo brought Weiss' lips back to hers and ran her hands along the length of the heiress' body, feeling it's soft contours. Her hands moved back to Weiss' chest, this time first pushing her down onto the bed. Weiss fiddled with the clasp of her bra for a moment before finally removing it. Neo moved her head down and began to suck the heiress' left breast, swirling her tongue around the nipple in a circle, while her hand continued to work on the other, eliciting even louder moans than before.

Her other hand moved along Weiss' inner thigh, occasionally brushing against her moistening panties. Bringing their mouths back together, she slid her hand up and over the undergarments, and moved it down to the heiress' core. Gently, she introduced to her middle finger, slowly gliding it in and out. Weiss flinched at first, her walls tightening around Neo's digit, but relaxed soon after. Neo's movements began to quicken, and she added a second finger. Weiss' moans became more frequent as well, a new feeling of pleasure washing over her, unlike any she'd felt before. Her moans became too great to continue their kiss, and Neo returned her tongue's attention to Weiss' chest until she was ready to take it elsewhere.

Removing her hand, now dripping wet, Neo pulled off the blue underwear, leaving Weiss completely nude before her. She repositioned herself so that Weiss' legs draped over her shoulders, and her head between them, poised at the heiress' entrance. She took a nervous breath and dove in, exploring the folds with her tongue. The taste was salty, and a little sweet, which she found she enjoyed. Weiss' moans were replaced with loud cries as her lover lapped at her womanhood, occasionally licking up and brushing her clitorus.

"Oh God! N-Neo! D-Don't stop!" she cried out as she began to spasm with uncontrollable waves of pleasure. "GaaaAAAH!"

She shut her eyes and arched her back arched as Neo's tongue hit her G-spot, sending her over the edge. Her whole body was rocked by the intense orgasm, leaving her breathless for for nearly a minute. Neo pulled her head away and crawled up to plant a kiss on the forehead of her still panting girlfriend.

"How was that?" she asked, knowing fully what the answer would be, but still wanting to hear that she'd done everything right.

"Incredible..." was all Weiss could manage to say, her eyes still shut while she recovered from the experience. At last she blinked a few times before turning to Neo with a growing smile. "I suppose it's only fair that I return the favour."

Neo grinned back, "I suppose so." She shed the last of her clothes and Weiss began to feel along her body. "And just so you know, you don't need to be gentle with me."

"If you say so," the heiress replied with a smirk.

While she looked confident on the outside, on the inside Weiss was very afraid she wouldn't do everything right. Thankfully though, after what Neo had just finished doing to her, she felt better about proceeding. She pounced on top of Neo, kissing her roughly, and started right away by inserting two fingers. Neo gasped as the actions caught her off guard, but had no objection to them. She could feel Beo in the back of her mind, coming closer to the front as Weiss' hand worked its magic on her, but in her state of near bliss, she didn't care. Her sister personality was never given the chance too come forward though, her mind was too preoccupied with trying to handle the sensory overload it was receiving. Weiss added a third finger, still pumping her wrist with the same ferocity as before, and Neo felt herself nearing climax. Her vision blurred, her body felt numb, and she latched onto the sheets to brace herself as her orgasm came over her.

"FuuuUUCK!" she screamed, her limbs turning to jelly as a feeling of ecstasy pulsed through her. She was catatonic for a few moments afterwards, before finally regaining control over her body. She turned to her white-haired lover, and there was only one thing she could think to say now. "Weiss... I love you."

"I love you too," the heiress replied, a few small tears of joy forming in her eyes after hearing those words.

The two laid in each other's arms for the next several minutes, neither one wanting the moment to end. With a sigh, they eventually got up to clean themselves and put on their pajamas, since neither one had any intention of getting up again. Neo sent Yang a message on her scroll before jumping back into bed and snuggling up against Weiss. The rest of the team returned soon after as the two were just about to fall asleep.

Yang grinned, "Hey you two."

"Hi guys," Neo said, trying to act nonchalant. "What'd you have to tell Blake and Ruby in the hall?"

"Not much, just that you two wanted the room to yourselves so you could bang," the blonde replied innocently.

"WHAT?" the couple shouted in unison, their cheeks matching Ruby's cape.

Blake laughed, "Don't worry, it's fine. We're happy to give you some privacy once in a while, you need it."

Neo turned to Ruby, who nodded in agreement, and gave a sigh of relief, "Well... thanks. Sorry I didn't just say it outright."

"Don't worry about it," her leader said cheerfully. "Now then, unless anyone has any objections, I'm going to bed."

Neo and Weiss continued to cuddle as the rest of their team got ready for bed. They said their goodnights as everyone got tucked in, and Ruby turned out the lights before settling into her bed. Neo pulled Weiss in closer and gave her a peck on the lips. The heiress smiled and returned the kiss before nestling into her girlfriend's embrace.

'_Weiss, I love you more than you'll ever know,_' Neo thought as she started to drift off to sleep, suddenly becoming aware of just how exhausted the evening had left her. '_I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than right here with you.'_

She let sleep overtake her, feeling as though nothing could diminish how happy she felt in that moment. She didn't know it yet, but the coming days would test her to her limits. For now though, all that mattered to her was Weiss.


	9. Chapter 9: No Pressure

Chapter 9: No Pressure

Neo sat with her back against the wall outside of Ozpin's office. She'd arrived nearly thirty minutes earlier, but was told to wait, as the headmaster was in the middle of a very important conference. She considered leaving a few times as the wait drug on since it wasn't Ozpin she was actually looking for. Her intention was to find General Ironwood, but seeing as she has no idea where he stayed when he visited, or if he were even still at the school right now, here seemed like a good place to start asking.

_'I don't know why I'm even bothering,'_ she thought, feeling on the verge of falling asleep. '_Even if I find him there's nothing I can say that'll change his mind about letting me into the tournament. Why do I care in the first place? Sure, it's a pretty big event, but it's not like I'm not about to win, or even take a medal. I'll be lucky to make it past the first round judging by what I've seen of the competition from the other schools. No, I have to at least try. I can tell how much Weiss and the rest of the team want me to compete, I can't give up so easily. If I'd done that before, I wouldn't be here.'_

She groaned and leant her head back against the wall, hoping that she'd be let in soon. It didn't help that she was still somewhat tired from last night, not that she minded, and soon that got the better of her. She tilted to the side and laid down on the floor, resting her head on her hands as a makeshift pillow, and nodded off.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Professor Ozpin asked as he exited his office another ten minutes later, tapping her on the shoulder to rouse her.

"Wha...?" Neo asked grogilly, wiping a bit of drool off her chin. "Oh, good morning professor!"

He nodded, taking a drink from his mug, "Good morning to you. I take it you have something important to see me for, otherwise I can't imagine you having waited this long."

"Fairly important, I guess," she said as she returned to her feet. "I'm looking for General Ironwood."

As if on cue, the general walked through the office doors and stood beside Ozpin, "And why would you need to see me?"

Neo gulped nervously, not expecting their encounter to come so soon, "I uh... I wanted to ask you to please reconsider my entry in the tournament."

"I'm sorry, but my decision is final," he replied coldly.

"Please? I've been working so hard to stay ahead in my classes, I want to show what I'm capable of!"

Ozpin took the opportunity to interject and help her cause, "Come to think of it, your exam scores have been extraordinarily high for someone with no prior schooling."

"Thank you professor, it just takes a lot of time in the library," Neo smiled. "That and Weiss is a really good teacher."

"I believe it," Ozpin smiled back.

Ironwood, of course, didn't see any reason to smile, "Enough. This has nothing to do with grades. While I don't necessary believe you are a direct threat to the festival, your presence in the tournament could still result in chaos."

"I don't see how..." Neo trailed off before giving the general a quizzical look. "Wait, are you saying... you don't think I'm still with Cinder?"

"Correct, I don't," he replied with a slightly warmer tone than before. "While I know that Ozpin's watch on you ended weeks ago, mine continued until just last night. I've seen enough to believe that you are truly here for the reasons you say you are."

"Thank you sir. That means a lot from..." she trailed off again, a question coming to her mind that she already knew the answer to, but still had to ask. "Umm... Just out of curiosity, what made you stop your watch over me?"

"I think you know exactly why. To answer you next question, no, my informant did not stay to witness your... amorous activities. Anyway, returning to the original matter. I need you to understand that I don't want you to compete because I fear it will make you a target, even more than you likely already are. The safety of everyone is my highest concern, and I won't put you in danger if I believe I can avoid it."

Neo's face fell, and Ozpin decided to give it one more try, "James, let's be honest. If they already intend to harm her, then whether or not she participates is irrelevant. And if they don't, then her participation is highly unlikely to distract them from whatever it is they are already planning. What are you truly gaining by not letting her compete?"

"You would make the same decision were you in my position. I'd be risking too much, including both of our positions here."

"Then I have one final proposal: Should anything happen because of her participation, I will assume full responsibility for it. I have enough faith in her that I am willing to take that risk upon myself."

The room went quiet. Ironwood and Neo were both stunned by the headmaster's offer, and Neo spoke in almost a whisper, "You would do that for me?"

Ozpin nodded and turned back to his colleague, "It's your decision, James. I won't push any further should you still say no."

With a heavy sigh, the general shook his head, and looked at Neo with a faint grin, "Very well. But, I will hold you to your word, Ozpin. Neo, I'll see that you are entered in the tournament."

Neo was speechless, but only for a brief moment before sprinting forward and wrapping Ironwood in a hug, "Thank you thank you thank you! I promise nothing will happen, and I haven't broken a promise yet!"

He smiled as she broke the embrace, "Let's hope that streak holds." With that, he turned and walked down the stairs.

Neo looked up at Ozpin, almost unable to contain herself, "Thank you so much professor. I still can't believe you'd do that for me."

"I stand by all of my students," he said, and started back into his office. "Now then, I expect your teammates will be wanting to hear the good news. I'll see you Friday at the tournament."

Neo nodded and rushed off to inform the team. It was a brilliant day outside. Bright sun, light clouds, and a it was much much, much warmer than the night before. Neo felt as if the breeze were carrying her along as she ran, like nothing could ruin how happy she was. She arrived at their dorm panting slightly, but still full of energy. She burst through the doors with a massive smile.

"Hey guys, guess what? Ironwood changed his-" she stopped when she saw Weiss sitting on her bed, sobbing uncontrollably, with Yang and Weiss on either side trying to calm her down. Ruby sat beside Yang, and gave Neo a sad look. "What's going on?"

Yang shook her head and handed Neo Weiss' scroll, "Just read this."

She took the device and read the message it had been opened to in her head, '_Weiss, I was informed by a client of mine, who attended the same restaurant as you yesterday evening, that you are in an apparent relationship with another girl at the academy. I am incredibly disappointed, and I want to speak with both of you immediately. I will be awaiting you call. Father._'

Neo's eyes widened, "No... You don't think he...?"

Weiss nodded, still crying, "I-I can't th-think of w-why else he'd want us to c-call." She suddenly jumped up from the bed and pulled Neo in a tight embrace. "I-I don't want to lose you..."

"Shh shh, it'll be okay," Neo tried to say reassuringly, but her voice cracked from trying not to cry herself.

Ruby quickly ran over to join in and add her support, and soon the whole team was wrapped in a group hug.

Blake was the first the step back, "Do you think you should call him?"

"It's not like we have much of a choice" the heiress replied, wiping her eyes. "He's my father, I can't just ignore him."

"We'd better not keep him waiting then," Neo said, taking Weiss by the hand. "Should we go to the library and make a call?"

Weiss nodded weakly, and the two left the room, being sure to take their time as they walked. Neither girl spoke until they exited the dorms, because frankly neither one knew what to say.

Weiss broke the silence as they started on the path toward the library, "This can't be happening... It just can't..."

"I wish it weren't," Neo replied solemnly. "I mean, he can't really keep us from seeing each other, can he?"

"Honesty, he'd probably transfer me to another academy if that's what it would take."

Neo smiled faintly, "I don't know about you, but it'll take a lot more than that to keep me from seeing you."

"I know," Weiss replied, giving Neo a peck on the lips. "That's why I love you, and always will, no matter what he says."

They arrived after a short detour through the gardens to collect their thoughts and enjoy the weather. Normally the library was like a second home to Weiss, but now it carried a much more foreboding atmosphere. They asked the librarians at the front desk for a private room to make a call, and were directed to a section in the back right of the building with several such rooms. The couple sat slab in front of the monitor, already wanting to leave. Neo closed the door, and the two took a deep breath together as Weiss plugged in her scroll to make the call.

"Hello, Schnee World Headquarters, how may I help you?" a cheerful woman asked on the screen. "Oh, Miss Schnee! How may I be of assistance?"

"Can you patch me through to my father, please?" the heiress shakily replied.

"Of course, just one moment."

The picture turned to a hold screen, and the couple shared a nervous glance.

Neo sighed, "Here we go."

The screen went to static for a moment before a white-haired man appeared, bearing a strong resemblance to Weiss.

"Hello, Father," she greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Weiss," he replied flatly. "I believe you have some explaining to do."

She shook her head, "There's really not much to explain. This is Neo, she's my girlfriend. I love her. That's all there is to it."

Her father's expression remained blank, "I see. How long has this been going on for?"

"Just over three weeks," Weiss said, her voice sounding incredibly small. Neo could see another wave of tears forming behind her eyes, but didn't want to interrupt, fearing what could happen if she did.

"And why," he continued, "Did I come to hear of this the way I did, and not from you?"

Weiss couldn't hold it together any longer, "Because I knew you'd forbid me from seeing her if I did."

She began to sob again, and Neo pulled her in close so she could cry into her shoulder. She patted the heiress' back and stroked her hair, trying her best to calm her down, while also trying not to break down as well.

"Weiss," her father sternly interrupted. The heiress snapped back to attention, a few stray tears rolling down her cheeks. "I want to speak to you now, Neo."

She gulped, "Y-Yes sir?"

"Tell me," he said, folding his hands on top of his desk. "What kind of family do you come from?"

"I..." Neo started, looking down at the floor. "I don't know anything about my family. Not my real family at least."

"I see. Which combat school did you attend before enrolling at Beacon?"

"I didn't..." she answered, sinking down into her chair. "It's a long story. I don't have a very clean past, but I'm working to make a better future for myself. Ozpin let me enroll so I would have the chance redeem myself."

His expression didn't waiver, "Yes, I'm quite aware of your past. We have you on the company record here from your... previous affiliation. All of our warehouses and train cars are equipped with surveillance cameras. You've caused us a considerable amount trouble."

"Oh..." Neo said quietly. At that moment, she wanted a trapdoor to open beneath her chair, and she didn't care where it would take her. "I'm sorry sir, I swear I've changed." The room was silent for a few moments, neither girl knowing what to say.

Weiss' father sighed and turned back to his daughter, "Weiss, princess, this isn't easy for me to say, believe me, but I can't allow this relationship continue."

"No! You can't do that!" she shrieked. "I don't care if you don't like that I'm a lesbian! I love her, and nothing will change that!"

Her father's expression was still the same as when the call started; very neutral, not showing any emotion. He looked at Weiss for a moment before turning to Neo, then back to Weiss.

"That's not my concern here," he said calmly. Weiss cocked her head at the statement, unsure of what he meant. "I've had a lot of time to think about this after you came out to me. You're my daughter, and I'll always support you, no matter what."

The heiress' tears now turned to ones of joy, overwhelmed by her father's words, "R-Really? Thank you, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that! But wait, why are you saying we can't be together then?"

Now his face fell somewhat, for the first time showing any emotion towards the conversation. He shook his head, "My objection comes from her past, specifically because of how much it involves our company. The two of you being together would seriously damage our credibility once word gets out of who she is. I'm sorry, but it's too much of a risk."

Weiss looked heartbroken, and rightly so, but Neo wasn't giving up so easily, "Sir, please at least give me a chance to show you who I am now. As much as I don't want it to, my past will always follow me, and there's nothing I can do to change that. But that's not who I am anymore. I'm not a criminal, I'm training to be a huntress like everyone else here, because I want to right the wrongs I've done. I can't hide my past, but there has to be something I can do show how far I've come."

"I wish it were that simple," he replied. "The media is quick to use anything they can find against you, and you would need something very significant to overshadow your history. Short of national recognition for something truly outstanding, I don't see what could be done to redeem you in the public eye enough for this to continue."

Neo's eyes widened, "The tournament... Ironwood changed his mind earlier and said he'll enter me. It's the Vytal Festival Tournament, would earning a high standing be enough?"

"Wait, he changed his mind?" Weiss asked in disbelief before hugging Neo. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" She turned back to her father, looking very hopeful. "Would that be enough? It has to be, it just has to!"

"I suppose it could work..." her father said, getting lost in his thoughts. "That is the most prestigious combat tournament in all of Remnant. Placing in the tournament would surely give me the ability to defend you to the public, should your past come into question... Very well. Should you place in the tournament, the two of you will have my approval. Until then, I want you to keep your relationship quiet. Should you not place, I suppose we can look into other options, but I wouldn't have high hopes for that."

Neo wore a confident smile, "Then the tournament it is. Thank you sir, I promise I'll earn your approval."

"We won't let you down," Weiss added, finally able to smile again.

Her father smiled back, "I know you won't. Now then, I have business to return to, and I believe you should get to training. I wish the both of you good luck in the tournament. Goodbye."

He hung up the call, leaving Neo and Weiss smiling from ear to ear at each other. They were both at a loss for words, and so they came together for long, passionate kiss to convey their emotions instead. Neo's body felt numb. Having gone from the crippling fear of knowing she could lose Weiss to now knowing that she could actually earn the approval of the heiress' father, her mind was working overtime to process everything she was feeling. The embrace ended nearly a minute later, and Neo couldn't stop smiling.

She ran her hands through her hair, "I can't believe it... He's not making us break up. Not yet at least. Of everything he couldv'e said, I never thought that would happen."

"Believe it, it really happened," Weiss replied, spinning in her chair out of sheer happiness. "Do you think you can do it? Place in the tournament I mean?" She looked at Neo hopefully, but was met with an uneasy stare. While she looked confident during the call, inside her head, Neo was just shy of panicking.

"I really don't know. I'm a pretty good fighter, but have you seen some of these kids? I don't stand a chance against more than half of them. How well do I have to do to place?"

Weiss' expression now matched her girlfriend's, "You have to take first, second or third place to receive a medal."

"Oh... Shit..." Neo said, feeling the same hopelessness now as when the two arrived to make the call. "I thought it was based on scores from matches like training class is. I didn't know I had to practically win the tournament! There's no way!"

"Don't say that! Come on, let's head to the practice fields and have a few sparring matches. We'll keep doing a few a day until the tournament starts a so we can have you in as best shape as possible."

Neo smiled, "Sounds like a plan. We should probably go back to the room first and tell everyone what happened, they'll be eager to know after the way we left." Weiss nodded and they got up to leave. Neo chuckled to herself as they walked out the door, and Weiss shot her a confused look. "It looks like Beo is finally gonna get her wish. The two of you will be spending a lot of quality time together over the next few days."

Weiss rolled her eyes, and the pair rushed back to their dorm to deliver the good and bad news to the rest of the team. They arrived to find their teammates sitting quietly on their beds, waiting to hear the expected result from the call. The smiles on Neo and Weiss' faces, however, instantly turned the mood in the room around, and now the three jumped down and ran over to the couple, eager to hear what'd happened. Weiss explained everything that was said, and what Neo had to do now for their relationship to continue.

"Wow..." was all they could say say as the heiress finished speaking.

Ruby looked at Neo with concern, "Do you really think you can win the tournament?"

"Not at all," Neo replied, shaking her head. "But, that doesn't mean I'm not gonna try."

"You'll be fine," Yang said casually, bringing up the tournament bracket on her scroll. "It looks like you'll have to win eight matches to get to the finals, which would guarantee you a medal. That's not too bad."

"No pressure," Blake added sarcastically.

Neo's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the statement, "Eight matches? Well... Weiss, it was fun while it lasted."

"Neo, be serious," the heiress scolded. "Come on, let's get out to the training grounds before it gets dark."

"Why don't we all come with you?" Blake offered as the couple moved to the door. "I'd be good for you to mix up who you're sparring with. Maybe we could see if Pyrrha can come too, she's easily the best fighter out of all of us."

Weiss nodded and the team departed, heading off toward JNPR's room. Nora answered the door and informed them that Jaune and Pyrrha were already out training, and to go to the practice fields to find them. Neo thanked her and the team now ran out to the fields to find them and get start Neo sparring as fast as possible. They reached the fields and were able to easily locate Jaune and Pyrrha, who happily agreed to help after hearing what happened.

The next couple of hours were very productive, with several sparring matches and group battles to expose Neo to some scenarios she hasn't faced before. Of course, it was Beo whom they were with during this time, and it was very strange for them to actually be conversing with her. The dramatic difference between the girl's personalities showed even more with the way Beo spoke and acted. At times, it truly scared the group, but they got past it eventually.

The session ended as the sun dipped behind the horizon, and Neo returned to control of herself, extremely exhausted from how physical the last few hours had been. The group went back to pick up Nora and Ren from the dorms, and then moved on to go eat in the dining hall. Neo's appetite closely resembled that of the day she arrived, which made Nora very happy. Another food bet was offered, but Neo declined, still wanting revenge after the last bet the two had had. After dinner, they all went back to team JNPR's room to play cards and wind down after the long day. Neo stayed for a while, seeming to have a knack for Remnant: The Game™, but around nine o'clock she decided to turn in a little early, wanting to have as much strength as possible for tomorrow, which would undoubtedly be even more strenuous than this afternoon had been. After showering and putting on pajamas, she flopped onto her bed with the intention of falling asleep as soon as possible.

"Hey Neo," an elegant voice greeted her from the doorway, and she turned with a smile to see Weiss, who walked over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "How're you feeling?"

Neo yawned, stretching her arms as she did, "Tired."

"I can tell," Weiss laughed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "I just wanted to tell you, I'm really proud of the way you've handled everything today. I know you could've easily given up at any point, and no one would blame you if you did, but you're not, and it means so much to me that you're willing to do this so that we can stay together."

"I haven't backed down so far, I'm not about to start now," Neo smiled. She pulled Weiss in for a hug, giving her a kiss on the lips once the embrace ended. "I love you."

"I love you too," the heiress said, blushing slightly. The two were quiet for a moment before Weiss stood up and grabbed her nightwear off the dresser. "I'm going to get changed and call it a night as well," she said, moving toward the bathroom.

Neo giggled, "You know, you don't have to go in the bathroom to change anymore. I've already seen you naked, it's not like you have to hide anything."

Weiss was a little reluctant, but decided Neo was right. She stripped off her normal clothes in exchange for her pajamas, and walked back over to Neo.

"Good night," she said sweetly, pecking her girlfriend on the lips.

"G'night!" Neo replied. Weiss turned to go to her own bed, but Neo grabbed her arm to stop her. "And just where do you think you're going?" she asked playfully.

The heiress smiled and happily climbed under the covers with Neo, snuggling up and letting the rhythm of her partner's breathing help her to sleep.

'_Why can't anything I have to do here be simple?_' Neo thought. 'I_ don't doubt I'll do well in the tournament, but winning? Even getting to the finals at all would be a miracle. I guess I've gotten this far though, let's just hope whatever I've been doing right keeps working for me._'

With that, she smiled and settled in against Weiss, who by now was already asleep, and it didn't take Neo long to follow her. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to sleep for very long.

"Neo! Neo, wake up!" an urgent voice suddenly whispered, pulling her of her dreams. She opened her eyes and strained in the dark to see Yang, who looked extremely worried.

"Yang? What the hell?" Neo asked with a yawn. "Why are you-?"

"You need to come with me to Ozpin's office right," the blonde interrupted, her voice getting louder as she went on. "General Ironwood called the whole team in, he said he needs to talk to you right away."

At this point, Weiss had also awoken to hear the end of Yang's sentence, "Why would he need to see her?"

Yang shrugged, "I dunno, but I don't wanna keep him waiting. Come on!"

She grabbed Neo and Weiss by the wrist and yanked them from bed and out of the room. Weiss was very annoyed she wasn't able to change into more decent clothes, but she wasn't about to break out of the brawler's iron grip. Meanwhile, Neo was racking her brain as to why Ironwood would want to see her so urgently. She never reached an answer as the three ascended the stairs to the headmaster's office and came running through the doors. Inside, the rest of team RWBY, along with Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood stood waiting for them.

"Good evening," Ozpin greeted, still holding his coffee mug. "Please, come join the rest of your team."

The girls did so, and Ironwood cleared his throat before addressing them, "Thank you for coming so quickly. I have a few questions I need to ask you, specifically targeted toward Neo. First, where did you go after leaving here this morning after our discussion?"

"I went right back to the room," Neo said, looking fearful. The general nodded for her to continue. "When I got back, I found out Weiss had gotten a message from her dad about our relationship, and we went to the library to call him."

"I see. Ozpin, can you verify the time of the call?" Ironwood asked.

"I already have," he replied with an exasperated sigh. "The call was placed not twenty minutes after I last saw her."

"Where did you go after that?" Glynda asked, sounding much more soothing than the general.

Neo was still confused as to why they wanted to know all of this, but didn't argue, "We all went out to the training fields for the afternoon. Jaune and Pyrrha joined us as well. After that we went to dinner with the rest of team JNPR, played cards for a while, then Weiss and I went to bed."

Ironwood looked suspicious, "What time did you two turn in?"

Neo shrugged, "I don't know exactly, around quarter after nine I think. What time is it now?"

"Just past midnight," Ozpin replied, turning back to his colleague. "Satisfied, James?"

"Not quite," was his response, narrowing his eyes at Neo. "I find it very suspicious that this would happen the day after my watch over her ended."

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked innocently. "What happened?"

Glynda sighed, "It seems Roman escaped from prison, possibly with some outside help. And James here seems to think-"

"That it was me..." Neo completed, turning to the general with a hurt expression. "You think I did it?"

He sighed, "I can't rule out the possibility. And it seems we have nearly three hours where you're unaccounted for."

"Impossible," Weiss interjected, folding her arms and acting like her usual self. "She was in bed with me that entire time. If she had gotten up to leave, I would've been woken up as well."

"I'm afraid that's not good enough to prove whether or not she-" Ironwood said before Ozpin interrupted.

"Enough!" he yelled, slamming his cup down on his desk. "I've had enough of this, James. You have no reason at all to suspect she was involved in any way. Until you can produce any evidence that goes against what she's said, this matter is closed. I will not have you harassing my students like this without any justification for your actions, am I clear? You may have been appointed head of security, but I am still headmaster here, and the festival has yet to even begin. I've put up with this until now, but I've reached my limit. Team RWBY, you're dismissed. I need to speak to the general alone."

The girls wasted no time in leaving the room as fast as possible, shutting the doors behind them and exiting the building before Ironwood had the chance to object. They ran back to their dorm and stopped to catch their breath once their all were inside.

"I've never seen Ozpin that angry before," Blake said quietly after they'd all had a moment to think about what had happened.

Yang crossed her arms, "Well yeah, I've never seen Ironwood be that much a prick before. What the fuck is his problem?"

"Like I said," Neo sighed, returning to her bed. "He won't trust me until I kill Cinder right in front of him."

She got back under the covers, and Weiss eagerly joined her. The heiress smiled, "Just ignore him, we've got bigger things to worry about right now. For instance, getting back to sleep so you'll be ready to get back to training tomorrow."

Neo smiled and gave her kiss, "You're right. Let's just hope we don't get woken up again."

The two feel asleep in each other's arms before the rest of the team had even finished changing into their nightwear. Neo smiled as she dreamt about what it would be like if she were to win the tournament, and what the future has in store for her and Weiss. In the back of her mind though, Roman's escape deeply worried her, especially being this close to the festival. Whatever they were planning had to be big, and knowing that she had a target painted on her back, most likely at least, didn't make her feel any better. For now, all she could do was wait and try to prepare for whatever lay ahead. Ready or not though, her greatest trails were only just beginning.

**Hello hello, hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always, leave a review if you've got something you'd like to share, and follow to get updates when they come out! The tournament is approaching fast, do you think Neo will win? What could Cinder be planning? How the fuck do magnets work? I'll see you all next time for the answers! Well, not necessarily next chapter, but soon.**


	10. Chapter 10: Upping the Intensity

**Hi guys. I hate to start off on such a sad note, but I don't know any other way to begin. I'll be brief though. For those of you who haven't been informed, Monty Oum passed away on February 1st after a severe allergic reaction, at the age 33. He was idol, my inspiration for getting into animation, game design, and much more, and his passing is incredibly difficult to process. I know that what he taught me about working hard, following your passion, and creativity will stay with me for her rest of my life. I'll miss you Monty, I owe you so much. 3**

**Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let's move on to the lighter portion of my opening notes. I saw I'm almost at 100 followers, it's awesome to see so many people enjoying the story. Please leave a review if you have feedback, or just something you'd like to share, and I'll keep making the story better and better.**

**Also, I've gotten a lot of requests through PM's to have Weiss and Beo get together, as will as a few in reviews, and you're wish is my command. ;) Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Upping the Intensity

For most of the students at Beacon, the week leading up to the Vytal Festival meant a break from school work, late nights partying with friends, and sleeping in as late as their bodies would allow them. Unfortunately, team RWBY was not afforded that luxury. With Neo needing to perform so well in the upcoming tournament, and having only today and tomorrow before matches began, they needed as much time as they could get. It was about seven in the morning, the sun had only just risen, and four of the team's five members were still fast asleep. The fifth put a stop to that, the high-pitched squeal of her whistle cause the sleeping girls to sit bolt upright in an instant.

Ruby's wake up call was met by evil glares, but she still smiled as innocently as ever, "Good morning team RWBY!"

"I swear to God," Weiss growled, burying her head back under the covers. "If you blow that whistle one more time, I-"

"Calm down," Neo interrupted, putting her arm around the heiress' shoulders. "Like you said, we've got bigger things to worry about."

Weiss huffed, but didn't argue. The team went about their normal morning routine of showering and getting dressed while also planning out how to best spend the day. At first they planned on nearly six straight hours of combat training during the length of the afternoon, but Neo quickly put an end to that idea, saying she'd be too exhausted tomorrow to do anything at all. Eventually they decided on a schedule that everyone seemed to agree on, and moved to the next item on the list of things to do: Breakfast. The girls were elated as they exited the dorms to find the weather outside was just as nice as it was yesterday, since they would likely be on the practice fields until sunset.

The dining hall was just opening when they arrived, which meant no lines, the freshest piping-hot food at the buffet, and the best pick of tables to sit at. Normally team JNPR would've joined them by now, but its members were all still in bed, enjoying the ability to sleep in. If left on their own, they likely would've remained there until noon, however the smell of pancakes managed to drift out and find its way to Nora's nose, and there was no going back after that. About ten minutes after they'd staying eating, team RWBY was joined by a very energetic Nora, and a very tired rest of team JNPR.

"Good morning!" Nora sang as she took a seat. The stack of pancakes on her tray wobbled precariously when she set it down. "What're you guys doing up too early?"

"We've got a lot of training to do," Neo replied, giggling a little at the irritated faces of the rest of team JNPR. "I take it none of you wanted to be up this early?"

Jaune groaned, "What do you think?"

"Well, since you're up, you could all come join us out on the fields," Yang cheerfully suggested, and was met by three cold stares.

"ABSOLUTELY!" Nora shouted in excitement, the sugar from her breakfast already coursing through through her. Neo found it somewhat odd that Ruby's breakfast of almost all chocolate chip cookies wasn't having the same effect on the cape wearer, but figured it would catch up with her later in the day.

Nora merrily went along after they all finished eating, however the rest of her team headed back to the dorms to catch another hour or two of sleep. No one could blame them, although Nora pouted at their lack on enthusiasm. The six remaining girls went straight to the practice fields and got to work right away. Neo felt a little uncomfortable knowing that Beo would be in control for the majority of the day, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Two hours went by, and in that time they managed to go through ten sparring matches with short breaks in between to keep everyone from tiring out too quickly. The rest of team JNPR made their way out shortly after, now fully rested, and matches continued for another hour and a half. Having Pyrrha there to spar with was extremely helpful, seeing as she was the most talented fighter in the group, at least in terms of tournament-style combat, and that was exactly the type of opponent Beo needed the most help against.

At the end of the morning, Beo had won nine of the thirteen matches they practiced. To her, that wasn't good enough, although seven of those wins had been back to back. She struggled the most against Pyrrha, with three of her four losses going to the redhead, which didn't help her confidence seeing as most of her opponents in the tournament would undoubtedly be the same way. The group decided to sit and rest for a few minutes before going to lunch, leaving them some time to talk with Beo. The long morning of extended combat meant that she would remain longer before reverting to Neo.

"So..." Pyrrha started, looking over at the multi-coloured girl. Even though they'd spent the whole morning in each other's company, it still felt strange to be talking to a completely separate part of Neo.

Beo smiled, "What's up, honey?"

"Honey?" Weiss asked, folding her arms.

"What? You only said I can't call you honey."

"Well yeah, but... I dunno, it's weird to hear you call someone else that. Plus, we weren't dating then."

"Okie dokie, honey," Beo replied with a mischievous grin. "Anyway, what's up Pyrrha?"

"Oh, um..." Pyrrha said, forgetting her initial question. "I don't remember what I was going to ask you."

Beo rolled her eyes, "If you say so. God, it's such a nice day out. We should really do more with it than just training." There were a few half nods of agreement, and it seemed as though she'd get her way, but as usual, Blake was the voice of reason.

"Perhaps, but if you're going to place in the tournament, you need all the time out here you can get," the Faunus said, getting the agreement of everyone.

"Blah, you're no funny, kitty," Beo groaned, laying back on the grass and resting her head on her hands. Yang snickered at the nickname Blake had been given, while the cat-girl only glared.

"Don't call me that," she said sternly, earning a muffled laugh from Beo. "I mean it."

"Alright, alright. I'm just having fun with ya."

The group continued to lay there for another few minutes before Beo made a faint gasp, and tightly closed her eyes. After a few seconds of stillness, they opened again.

Neo laughed to herself as she finished the transition back, "Wow, she had some pretty good comebacks for you, Blake. Although I'd probably be dead if she'd said them."

"You'd better tell me what they were later," Yang said with a grin, and Neo nodded. "Alright, well now that you're back to normal, is everyone up for lunch?"

An enthusiastic yes came from all members of the group, and they packed up their gear before heading out. Instead of eating in the dining hall again, they decided on going into town. Of course, Weiss fought it as much as possible, saying she didn't want to waste any time, but everyone more or less ignored her argument. Beo had been right, the weather was too nice not to at least take a walk, plus the closeness of the festival meant that tons of street vendors had set up shop around the city.

Everyone split off in search of their favourite food stand, and reconvened after they'd found what they wanted. That is, everyone except for Weiss. She acted like her usual proper self, as if this kind of food was too far beneath her to eat. Ruby and Yang tried convincing her for nearly fifteen minutes to try a deep-fried hot dog, but with no success. Finally, after a little extra prodding from the rest of her friends, and especially Neo, she gave in and took a bite. Then another, and another. A half hour or so of chatting, laughing, and sampling more vendors went by, the group decided they'd had enough time off, and returned to Beacon to continue training.

As expected, they were stopped at the gate by Ironwood's men to have their ID's checked, although the process seemed far faster than it had been before. Thankfully, the random checks while walking around campus had all but stopped. Roman's escape had the general far more concerned in other areas, and needed his men stations elsewhere. The walk back to the fields wasn't too long, but lunch itself had taken much longer than anticipated, and it was now nearly one o'clock. If they wanted to get in as much practice as they'd hoped, they'd have to resume right away. Training didn't pick back up right away though, as much as Weiss would've liked it to, as everyone still needed time to digest before getting back into the swing of combat.

Another half hour passed and sparring matches resumed, but it was clear from the start that the rest of the day wouldn't be as productive as the start had been. Having the break to stop and eat gave their bodies time to realise how strenuous that morning's work had been, and it wasn't long before they decided to stop for the day and head back to the dorms. Weiss wasn't happy about ending so early, and tried her best to convince the group otherwise, but to no avail. Neo wanted them to continue as well, but knew that pushing herself more could leave her sore for the start of the tournament, and so they started the walk back.

A male voice called out to them not long after, just as they passed into the gardens, "Good afternoon team RWBY, team JNPR." Neo turned around in surprise to see General Ironwood walking quickly to catch up to them. "Had enough time on the fields for today?"

Weiss huffed, "Not if you ask me, but they seem to think so."

"Oh shut it, ice queen," Yang laughed. "So what brings you by, General?"

He turned his attention, as they knew he would, to Neo, "I'd like to speak with Miss Neapolitan for a moment. I assure you, it's nothing bad. Shall we?" He motioned his arm for the two of them to walk together.

'_Miss Neapolitan?_' Neo thought, a little confused. '_I've never heard him call me that before. I wonder what this could be about._'

"Uh, sure," she replied, looking back at her friends. "I'll catch up with you guys in a bit." They nodded, said goodbye, and resumed their walk back to their rooms while Neo followed alongside Ironwood as he began walking in the opposite direction. "So, what's up?"

He sighed, "I believe I may owe you an apology. I made a number of snap judgements about you, and I should've known better to trust Ozpin's instincts. He's right far more than I am, but you can never tell him I said that." The general looked around at the various blooming plants along the path for a moment before continuing. "We recovered security footage of Roman's escape, and it would seem Cinder was the one who freed him."

That struck Neo as odd, and she looked up with a confused expression, "Wait, Cinder did it? You're sure it wasn't Emerald?"

"I'm positive it was Cinder," Ironwood replied, giving Neo a quizzical look. "Why?"

"That's really strange. She never does her own dirty work if she can help, especially when it's such high stakes. She always tries to keep her own hands clean when she can."

"Interesting. Can you think of why she would be so keen to do this on her own then?"

Neo stopped and thought for a moment, "Well... I can think of three things. First, something happened to Emerald and Mercury, but I doubt that. Second, she might figure that since I've already revealed who she is to you, she doesn't need to be as concerned with exposing herself. And third, Roman has some part yet to play that's so vital, she wouldn't want to risk anything going wrong with getting him out." The general was silent, motioning for her to continue. "My guess is the second or third, but I can't see Roman having any more of a role to play. We'd already stockpiled enough dust and weapons before I came here to move on to whatever she had in mind next. It seemed like he was only still along to take the fall or help with transporting everything from the warehouse. I suppose he-"

"Hold on a minute," Ironwood swiftly interrupted. "What warehouse?"

"The warehouse that we stored everything in," Neo said, sounding almost unsure of her own words.

'_Oh fuck, did I not tell him about that? Shit, this is not going to go over well..._'

The general's expression turned suspicious, "May I ask why you've waited until now to mention this?"

"I-I thought it told you about it weeks ago," she said, her voice getting higher as she felt a twinge of panic growing in her head. While an honest mistake, she knew it could have serious consequences, and was very afraid of what they would be. "Oh God, please don't be mad. I swear I didn't mean it, it just must've slipped my mind."

Ironwood put a hand on her shoulder as she began to hyperventilate, "Neo, calm down, I'm not angry. But please, come with me to Ozpin's office. I need you to identity the location of this warehouse." She nodded without hesitation and they hurried off.

They arrived shortly after, informing Ozpin as to why they had come, and he brought up a map for Neo to mark the location on. She wasted no time in finding the warehouse, zooming in on the map until she could identify the street it was on and the buildings surrounding it.

Ironwood seemed sceptical, "You're sure that it's this building?"

"Of course," Neo replied, not sure why he would question her. "I've been there plenty of times. Why?"

"I'm confused as to why it's in such an open, busy area. There are dozens of other buildings and stores around it, why have your operation based there?"

"Hiding in plain sight. Nobody questions crates being delivered a warehouse, no matter where they're from out how many there are."

"I see," was Ironwood's reply. He turned to Ozpin, who hadn't spoken since bringing up the map. "How do you suggest we proceed?"

Ozpin looked surprised, "You're asking my opinion on how to engage them?" The general nodded, and Ozpin thought for a moment. "Assuming they're still based there, as that easily could have changed in the last month, then I see no reason not to move in. They certainly won't be expecting an assault now, and it will undoubtedly be a setback for whatever they have planned for the festival."

"I agree," Ironwood replied. "I'll send troops there immediately. Neo, what kind of resistance can we expect?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. It was only a handful a guards last I was there, but I remember something about a huge recruitment that was supposed to take place the week after I left, but I don't know how that went."

The general nodded, "I'll make the assumption it brought on plenty of new recruits, and send a large detachment. Hopefully we can end this here."

He turned to leave, but Ozpin stopped him, "One moment, James. Neo, can you think of anything else that the two of us should be informed of? I know that things like this warehouse or that recruitment event may seem insignificant inn your mind, but we need to know anything and everything you can tell us. Is there anything more you can remember that could be important?"

She shook her head, "No sir. I'll keep thinking though, if I remember anything else I'll come straight to you."

"Very well," Ozpin replied. "You're dismissed then. In case I don't see you between now and the tournament, I wish you good luck."

"Thank you sir," she smiled before turning to leave.

"Actually, that reminds me of something," Ironwood said, turning Neo's attention over to him. "I made a call to Schnee Headquarters to find out the nature of your call from the other day, strictly as part of the investigation, and spoke to Miss Schnee's father. I wish you good luck in the tournament as well, I hope that everything works out for you."

Neo continued to smile, "Thank you, General."

With that, they both left, each taking a different flight of the double stairs to get to the ground floor. Neo set off back in the direction of the dorms, ready to take it easy for the rest of the day. She arrived and was greeted by her teammates, who were eager to know why Ironwood wanted to speak to her, and why it took so long. She explained what had happened, and everyone was relieved to hear that nothing bad had happened.

It was fairly late in the afternoon now, not leaving too much time to get invested in something before they'd go off to have dinner. They ended up assuming their usual roles: Blake reading her book, Yang and Ruby playing games on their scrolls, Weiss and Neo cuddling in bed. It wasn't long before Jaune dropped by to pick them up so both teams could eat together as they usually did. Dinner was fairly uneventful, until a nervous looking Sun was pushed over to the table the group was sitting at by the rest of his team.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Blake greeted them, laughing at Sun's resistance to coming over.

Neptune lightly elbowed him in the rib, "Come on man, go for it."

Yang, Nora, Ruby and Pyrrha all squealed as they saw the look Sun's teammates were giving him, and knew exactly why they'd come over, and why he was acting so strange. Sun was quiet for a few seconds before Scarlett pushed him closer to Blake. The Faunus girl raised an eyebrow as he laughed nervously, putting a hand behind his head.

"So uh," he started, looking back at his teammates for reassurance before continuing. "Are you... busy tonight?"

Blake smiled, "Not at all, why?"

"Well, I uh... was wondering if you'd wanna go out somewhere with me? Ya know, like a date." Both team RWBY and JNPR gasped in delight, looking at Blake to get her answer.

She stood up and gave Sun a kiss on the cheek, "I would love to. Come pick me up around seven?"

He blushed, not having expected her to agree do easily, or at all for that matter, "Sounds great. I'll see you then."

He gave an awkward wave goodbye as team SSSN departed, and Blake sat back down and turned back to the rest of the group, who were smiling from ear to ear.

Yang giggled, "Well that took a month and a half too long."

"Oh can it Blondie," Blake replied, getting lost in her thoughts about Sun. "Besides, you're just jealous."

Yang smirked, "Oh really? Do go on."

"You're the only one of us that's single now."

Ruby pouted, "Hey, what about me? I'm still single."

"Yeah, but you don't count, you're fifteen," her sister replied. "And no, Blake, I'm not jealous. I was just teasing you."

Blake innocently shrugged, "If you say so."

They went back to eat eating, with Blake continuing to be distracted. Neo was surprised to see her act this way. Blake didn't do much in the way of disguising how she felt about Sun, but this sort of bubbliness was very uncharacteristic of her. What was even more surprising though, was how Yang was acting. She seemed distracted as well, but looked sad, like something was troubling her, and Neo knew what that thing was.

'_Wow, I guess Blake must've gotten to her_,' Neo thought, giving her blonde teammate a sympathetic look. '_I wonder why that would bother her so much, she always seems happy just going out and hooking up. Could be that she really does want a boyfriend. Or girlfriend, can't make that assumption. If she does, I can only imagine how seeing all of us with someone would feel. Maybe I could try to set her up with someone._'

The rest of the meal went by without much else happening, and afterwards both teams returned to their dorms. Ruby ended up following JNPR back to their room to take Jaune's place for a game of Remnant, since he wasn't feeling awake enough to continue the team's game from earlier. Meanwhile, the rest of team RWBY went back to their own dorm. Sun arrived exactly at seven to pick up Blake, who had been anxiously pacing up until he knocked on the door. Neo looked over at Yang after the Blake and Sun had left, and couldn't help noticing how upset she looked.

"Hey Yang, you alright?" she asked, making her concern obvious. The blonde perked up immediately, trying to hide how she was feeling.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" she cheerfully replied. Neo narrowed her eyes, making it clear to Yang she knew what was bothering her. "Really, I'm fine. It's nothing, trust me."

Neo shook her head, "If you're sure. Promise you'll tell us if something really wrong?"

"Promise," Yang said, hopping off her bed and grabbing her purse from the dresser. "Aight, I'm going out got the night. Catch you guys later!"

She dashed out the door before anyone could protest, leaving Neo and Weiss by themselves. Weiss sat on her bed, going over the tournament bracket on her scroll, while Neo changed into her pajamas.

Weiss sighed, "You know that spending this whole afternoon goofing off means that tomorrow will be all training, right?"

"Not likely," Neo replied, taking a seat next to the heiress. "If I tire myself out tomorrow, then I'll be screwed on the first day of matches. We'll definitely do some training, but let's not overdo it."

Weiss huffed, folding her arms, "Fine, but I get to determine our schedule for the day."

"Sounds fine to me," Neo smiled, giving Weiss a peck on the cheek. "So what do you wanna do? Looks like we've got the room to ourselves for a while."

Weiss rolled her eyes and pulled Neo back in, connecting their lips again and playfully nipping at Neo's bottom lip. She cupped Neo's face with one hand, and placed the other on the girl's thigh as she pulled away, "Take a wild guess."

Neo grinned and dove on top of her girlfriend, pushing her down onto the bed. She didn't know it, but Weiss had enjoyed their first intimate night together more than she let on. Having always dreamt of what her first time would be like, and not having been in any previous relationships, her first time being with someone she loved as much as Neo made it all the more magical to her.

She was glad to have had her first experience be gentle and romantic, but more she wanted to trying things Neo's way. Or even more precisely, Beo's way. She didn't want to go as far as to include the rope and other things Neo had mentioned, rather, she wanted the same rougher treatment she had given to Neo. She wanted to go hot and heavy, and made her intentions clear as she kissed hungrily along Neo's neck, sending shivers of pleasure down the girl's spine.

"Wait, hold on," Neo said suddenly, pulling away from Weiss. "We probably shouldn't get too wild, I don't want Beo trying to take over again. I don't think I'd had the energy after fighting it to keep going."

Weiss grinned, blushing slightly, "Actually, I wouldn't mind her paying a visit..."

Neo's eyes widened, "Are you being serious? Do you not remember what I said she's into?"

"I remember," the heiress replied, pulling Neo back to her. "It's just, I've always been treated like a princess. People have always acted like I'd break if they touched me, and I don't want that here. Granted, I don't want all the crazy whips and things Beo's into, but I want to try things her way, at least once."

'_She can't be serious,_' Neo thought, staring into Weiss' hopeful eyes. '_I mean... Beo didn't do anything too bad while we were training today, I guess it couldn't to... No, this is crazy, Weiss would get hurt, I just know it. I know she's tougher than she looks, but not in this area. I could go rougher on her myself, but... No, Beo would take over got sure... I guess it'll happen eventually, and if Weiss really wants it to be now, I suppose there's no reason to fight it._'

Neo still looked very unsure, but couldn't fight the sad eyes her girlfriend was giving her, "Alright, fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Weiss' face lit up, and she brought Neo in for a kiss that started passionately, and turned to an embrace of pure lust. Neo still was a little apprehensive letting Beo take control here, but it was a little too late at this point to take back her decision. It felt very strange to let the transition happen without fighting it, at least outside of combat. Apart from in a fight, it was very rare that she would willingly let Beo through. The transition was quick, with Weiss not even realising it had happened until Beo pulled away and gave the heiress a wicked grin that only she wore.

"Hey there, honey," Beo greeted her. "Ready for me to rock your world?"

Weiss took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes. But, no accessories, or anything weird. Just you and me."

Beo's smile only widened, "You've got it, babe."

Even the way Beo kissed was rough, smashing their lips together while running her hands across the length of Weiss' body and through her hair, tugging slightly at times, but nothing that didn't seem playful. Having already changed into pajamas, Beo was able to strip quickly and easily, foregoing any sort of sensuality in undressing and getting right to the part she wanted. She helped Weiss to disrobe as well, leaving them both completely nude as they climbed under the covers of the heiress' bed, just in case Ruby came back early.

"Just one thing," Beo said one word at a time between kisses. She pulled away, pushing Weiss' shoulders down so she couldn't move. "My way means no boundaries, and no turning back."

Weiss gulped, already starting to regret her decision, staring up at the evil smile on Beo's face. Despite her size, Beo was incredibly strong, keeping the heiress firmly against the mattress with no chance of escape. Weiss knew it was already far too late to turn back, and decided to go all in. In the back of her mind though, she hoped that Beo would be willing to stop if something really didn't sit well with her.

"Do your worst," Weiss said with a smirk, wanting to take it back the moment it left her lips, but it was too late.

Beo's grin now resembled that of a supervillain who had their nemesis right where they wanted them. She planted a kiss on Weiss' forehead as light as a feather before whispering in her ear, "As you wish."

Before Weiss had a chance to react, Beo's hand shot directly to her core, going in right away with three fingers. The heiress' mouth opened to scream in a mixture of pleasure of pain, but Beo's own mouth overlapped hers before the sound could escape.

"Holy fuck!" Weiss eventually managed to get out, the initial pain now having turned into ecstasy.

Beo took that as her cue to take it up yet another notch beyond what Weiss had experienced. She moved her free hand to one of the heiress' breasts, roughly massaging it, and enveloping the other with her mouth, tugging at the nipple with her teeth. All the while, her other hand was still trusting as hard as before, not letting up on its assault on Weiss' womanhood.

The heiress' moans were louder than last time by a factor of ten. The newness and harshness of her treatment gave her incredible sensations she had never felt before, that she didn't even know were possible to feel. Her hands gasped at the sheets, while her body preparing for the most intense orgasm she'd ever had.

Beo, on the other hand, was far from finished. She abruptly stopped her hands and straddled Weiss, contemplating what would be the best thing to do next.

Meanwhile, Weiss was pouting at the sudden end of her newfound bliss, "Why'd you stop?" She sounded both irritated and sad, her expression looking almost pitiful, which Beo found incredibly sexy.

The multi-coloured girl licked her dripping fingers, maintaining eye contact the entire time, then moved in close to Weiss, "Don't worry, we're just getting started."

She spun around so that her vagina hovered just above the heiress' face, and put her own head down at Weiss' entrance. She resumed her actions from before, adding her tongue to the mix with her fingers and occasionally brushing against Weiss' clit. Meanwhile, Weiss had yet to actually give oral, and was understandably nervous about trying it. But, with how good it felt to receive, and how much Beo seemed to enjoy it, she took a shaky breath from the spasms of pleasure her girlfriend was causing her, and dove in as well.

She wasn't the biggest fan of the taste, but wasn't really bothered by it. Her tongue darted in and out, moving around and exploring the right cavern it had been presented with. Beo's mouth with doing much the same thing, although she was still using her right hand as well. That left her with the not so difficult decision, at least for her, of what to do with her left hand. A devilish smile spread across her face as she reached around Weiss' waist, the further south, and slid her middle finger into the heiress' ass.

Weiss gasped at the unexpected intruder, having never tried anything anal on her own. She pulled her mouth away from her girlfriend's lower lips to protest, but a sudden swirling of Beo's tongue around her sensitive nub made her throw her head back against the pillow, all previous thoughts flying away. She recovered from the unexpected bliss and returned her attention to Beo's womanhood, no longer opposing the digit in her least experienced area.

It was a very strange sensation, oddly pleasurable while feeling somewhat wrong at the same time. This was the first time since they'd began that Beo had done something gently, as she didn't actually want to hurt Weiss. That didn't last long though, and she added a second finger, both her hands now moving at the same speed with one moving in as the other slid out.

The extra stimulation sent Weiss over the edge, bringing her to a climax more intense than she ever thought possible. She gasped as her orgasm took hold of her, the incredible pleasure rendering her unable to speak, and almost causing her to pass out. Picking up on this, Beo turned her tongue's full attention to Weiss' clit, as well as pumping her hands even harder. The heiress' mind gave up on trying to process anything other than pleasure and she collapsed onto the bed, panting like she'd just finished a marathon.

Beo frowned, having not climaxed herself, and giggled as she positioned herself for another new position so she could finish. She slid her legs between Weiss', forming a scissor as their cores brushed each other. Weiss hardly had time to realise what was going on before Beo began to rub against her, the friction feeling just as good as anything up to then. Beo pulled her lover up and into a passionate kiss as she sped up her hips. Weiss tried to mirror Beo, but she had yet to regain control over her legs.

Beo felt herself reaching her own orgasm, and let out her first cry of the night as she arched her back and fell back onto the sheets. Her eyes shut, and she lay still for a few moments before finally coming back to her senses. She looked around in confusion for a moment before turning to Weiss. The heiress was still riding her high from the experience, but could see something wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked.

"Huh... I didn't expect to switch back just then," Neo said with a smile, crawling up so that her face was level with Weiss'. "Beo takes over at the start of a fight, I guess I take back over at the end of a climax. That a absolutely incredible."

The heiress smiled back, giving Neo a soft kiss on the lips, "That was far more than incredible." She pulled Neo back in, running her hands along the girl's body. Neo did the same, bringing her hands up to cup Weiss' face, but they were quickly slapped away. "No no no, you will wash that hand before it gets anywhere near my face!"

Neo giggled, "Fine, fine." She went into the bathroom and washed up, giving extra attention to her left hand, and returned to see Weiss staring off at the wall, a smile on her face that seemed more appropriate to be worn by Ruby. "What's that look for?"

"Oh nothing," she replied, snapping back to reality and beckoning Neo over. "I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have you."

"Let's hope you still do at the end of the festival."

"Don't say that!" Weiss snapped as Neo climbed back under the covers. "Don't doubt yourself so much, you can do this."

Neo smiled, "Thanks, I'm glad you have so much confidence in me. I love you."

"I love you too, and I always will."

The couple lay there together, not even caring that they were still naked. Neo let out a content sigh as she wrapped herself in Weiss' arms, pulling the heiress in closer to feel the warmth of her skin against her own. Beyond exhausted, she was asleep within seconds, her body needing as much time as it could to prepare for the tomorrow, which she knew would be even more strenuous than today was. The tournament loomed closer in her mind, and she still didn't know whether of not she would be able to perform as well as she needed to, even with the extra help she was receiving. All of that seemed insignificant right now though, because for her, just being with Weiss was enough to take all of her fears away.


	11. Chapter 11: Pushing your Limits

Chapter 11: Pushing your Limits

A single ray of sunlight crept through the shades of team RWBY's dorm, moving across the room as the sun slowly rose ing the sky, and eventually landed directly across the eyes of a sleeping Neo. She stirred, shifting her position so she could return to sleep without further interruption. In the back of her mind, something struck her as odd, but she wasn't nearly awake enough to figure out what that was right now. Letting out a content sigh, she settled in against Weiss as she resumed her slumber.

She woke again about an hour later, yawning and stretching her arms as she sat up and glanced around the room. The rest of the team was still asleep in bed, including Yang, and Neo was relieved to she the blonde had made it back safely.

_'I suppose I should lay back down,_' she thought as she yawned again. '_I should get as much sleep as I can before Ruby's alarm..._' She stopped, realising what had seemed strange when she was woken up earlier. She glanced over at the clock and lay back down with an irritated sigh.'_Nine forty-seven. Ruby never set the alarm... Meh, if I don't have to get up yet, I'm not going to._' She put her arm back around Weiss, letting herself drift back to sleep for a second time.

A light poking on her shoulder roused her some time later, "Neo... Neo, wake up."

She blinked twice before her eyes were able to focus on her waker, Ruby. The redhead looked both concerned and afraid, and Neo sat up to address her, "Ruby? What's up?"

"Uh, well... I think I forgot to set the alarm, it's almost eleven. Weiss is gonna be furious..." Ruby whispered, looked over Neo's shoulder at the still sleeping heiress.

Neo only shrugged, "It happens, no big deal. Just wake everyone now, I'll make sure Weiss doesn't get too upset."

Ruby nodded and immediately snatched her whistle from the bedside table. Neo plugged her ears with her fingers, happy to have the chance to brace herself before the shrill blast of sound. Ruby blew the whistle, bringing everyone else to attention. Neo cringed, her attempt to dampen the noise failing entirely. Weiss went to yell, but stopped when she noticed the time on the clock.

"Ruby Rose..." she growled, jumping out of bed and standing face to face with her leader. "Not only are you still using that whistle after I've asked you repeatedly to stop-"

"Um... Weiss?" Ruby sheepishly interrupted, her face turning a light shade of pink.

"Don't interrupt me! Not only that, but you forgot to the set alarm? How could you be so careless! I told you that we're on a tight schedule today, and we need as much time as we can get! You-"

Weiss was interrupted again, this time by Blake. The colour of her face matched Ruby's, and she spoke just as hesitantly, "Hey, Weiss... I think you should-"

"Not now, Blake, I'm not finished! I-"

"Weiss!" Neo half yelled and half giggled, turning her girlfriend's attention over to her.

"WHAT?"

Neo laughed and shook her head, "You're still naked." Weiss froze, all the colour draining from her face as she slowly looked down at her body. Sure enough, she was still nude from last night, her clothes in a heap at the foot of her bed. The room went quiet, all eyes on Weiss, although everyone but Neo was doing their best not to look anywhere but her face.

"Oh..." the heiress said quietly before snatching her clothes and dashing into the bathroom. The rest of the girls laughed, and Neo stealthily slipped her pajamas back on under the covers to save herald the same embarrassment. Weiss emerged a minute later, her face now a deep shade of red, "Alright... I hope you all enjoyed sleeping in, because that means we need to work even harder."

Yang groaned, "Can I just have the day off please?" She pulled the blankets back over herself and covered her head with her pillow.

Blake rolled her eyes, "What's the matter? Party a little too hard last night?"

Normally, Yang would've just grunted and stayed buried in her bed, but instead she poked her head out and gave her partner an evil grin, "Maybe, but I still got in before you this morning. Care to tell us more about that?"

Now everyone turned to Blake, whose eyes has shot open at Yang's comments. She put her arms behind her back, now blushing as much as Weiss. She looked down at her feet and spoke quietly, "I uh... Well..."

"Ooooo," Ruby teased, giggling a little as Blake shot her an angry look. "I take it your date with Sun went well then?"

"You could say that," Blake calmly replied, her face starting to return to its normal colour. "I didn't see why you're making a big deal out it though. Neo and Weiss obviously slept together last night, and I assume Yang hooked up too."

"True," Neo said, finally getting out of bed to stretch. "But none of that is new apart from you and Sun. So how'd the date actually go? You don't have to get too descriptive though, for Ruby's sake." The redhead pouted, earning a laugh from her sister.

"Well, we started out by going into town to see a play. I don't know how, but he knew it was one of my favourites: "The Grimm in my Mind." Afterwards we went for a walk out in the gardens, and eventually ended up back in his team's dorm. We had the room to ourselves, at least for a while since the rest of team SSSN was out at some party. One thing led to another, and I spent the night."

Yang smugly crossed her arms, "Wow, I didn't think you were the type of girl who'd put out on the first date."

"Oh shut it, Blondie. Besides, compared to you I'm about as innocent as Ruby," Blake shot back, leaving Ruby continuing to pout.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Whatever, can we please focus now? The tournament starts tomorrow, and Neo is nowhere near ready!" Neo huffed, but couldn't deny that Weiss was right. She needed all the practice she could get in today without going overboard. The team agreed it was time to get going, and so they packed up their gear, as well as a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches after Weiss declared they'd slept through lunch time, and headed out.

The afternoon went by as a blur to for Neo, or rather for Beo. Instead of simply sparring with everyone, Weiss had devised a series of exercises and matches to hone Beo's skills against the types of opponents she'd face. She mainly spared with Pyrrha, Weiss, and Blake today, as they reflected the fighting styles that Weiss felt she needed the most practice against, while the rest of her friends aided with the specific exercises Weiss had planned. They also took larger breaks between matches, since all of them needed to save their strength for tomorrow.

A few hours went by, and Beo's record stood as two wins and one loss against Blake, two wins and two losses with Weiss, and one win and four losses with Pyrrha. Beo was infuriated she couldn't get the upper hand against the goddess-like redhead, and refused to accept that she was simply outmatched, that the girl's level of skill was just beyond what she could hope to defeat.

Blake looked at the time on her scroll and turned to the group, who were using their current break to relax in the shade. "I think we should head in soon," she said, directing her comment mostly at Weiss. "If we have any more matches, I don't think we'll be able to be rested enough for tomorrow. There's no need to wear ourselves out."

"I think you're right," Weiss agreed, although she wasn't happy to admit it. She was getting more and more worried about Beo's performance now that they were less than a day away from the tournament. "Come on, let's head back to the room. I need a shower with how humid it is out here."

Everyone got to their feet, but Beo wanted one last match before they went inside. She grabbed Pyrrha's shoulder to stop her from walking, "Actually, do you think we have time for one more match? I think I've got you figured out."

Weiss shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea. You've pushed yourself far enough already, there's no to need to-"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind," Pyrrha interrupted, spinning around to face Beo. "We can have one more match."

Beo smiled, "Prefect!" She ran across the field to really her place as Pyrrha did the same, bowing to each other as Weiss hesitantly called the start of the match.

Beo had been replaying her past few matches with Pyrrha over in her heard, looking for something she could use against the girl. She had been lying alt figuring her out, and now had to think fast. As she expected, there was no flaw she could find in Pyrrha's fighting style. The girl had gotten where she was because of tremendous skill, practice, and discipline, and her form reflected that. Still, that didn't seem to phase Beo. Everyone has a weakness, and she intended to find Pyrrha's.

Pyrrha made the first advance, charging with her shield raised, and her spear following at her side. She made a series of slashes at Beo, who easily dodged and moved in closer to plant her own blows. Pyrrha had no trouble swinging her shield and spear simultaneously to block Beo's umbrella and punches, and now took on a move defensive stance while Beo continued her assault. Beo leapt into the air, doing a front flip as she barreled down at Pyrrha, who shifted her feet and raised her shield. And that was the last thing Neo could remember of that afternoon.

Neo was suddenly blinded by a bright light as she tried to open her eyes. The intensity started to fade as they adjusted, and she found herself in a hospital room, laying in bed.

'_...the fuck? How'd I get here? Why am I here in the first place?_' she thought as she looked around. '_I was fighting Pyrrha... Then what?_' She attempted to sit up, but an intense pain on her right side had her laying down again in an instant.

"Easy, easy!" Weiss said from the bedside, startling Neo. "Just stay still, I'll get the doctor and let him know you're awake." Weiss got up from her chair and hastily moved to the door, but Neo called out to her before she was able to leave.

"Hey, wait! What the hell happened? And why does my side hurt so much?"

Weiss sighed, "You're aura went into the red during the last match with Pyrrha, but you wouldn't stop fighting." The heiress moved back to Neo's bed, taking her hand and interlacing their fingers before continuing. "You took a hard hit in the ribs from Pyrrha's shield while you were in the air, and your aura couldn't absorb it. You hit the ground on the same side when you landed."

"Shit... How bad is it?" Neo asked hesitantly, getting the feeling that she wouldn't be receiving good news.

Weiss shook her head, "Four bruised ribs, but thankfully none broken. Even with your aura helping it heal though, the doctor said it'll be at least a week before you should fight again."

Neo went completely silent, stunned by the news. She looked down at the bandages on her side, wincing slightly as she turned her body. After a moment she turned back to Weiss with a tear rolling down her check, "But the tournament... Does this mean...?"

Weiss closed her eyes, a pained expression coming over her, and nodded, "I think so..." They were both quiet again, apart from Neo's sniffling as she tried her best to cry. "I'll be right back, the doctor wanted me to let him know him when you woke up."

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost an hour," Weiss said before finally slipping out of the room, leaving Neo by herself.

'_I can't believe it... After all that, this is what happens? God damn it, why did I have to keep going? There has to be some way I can be ready to compete tomorrow, there just has to!_'

Weiss reappeared moments later with the doctor, a brown-hair man who was about as tall as Yang. He walked over to Neo and helped her to slowly sit up, being very careful of her injury.

"Can you try to raise your arms for me?" he asked, raising his own arms to demonstrate. Neo complied, wincing as she neared the same height his arms were at. "That's good, you can let them rest. Take a deep breath for me, as deep as you can without it hurting."

Again, Neo complied, having no trouble filling her lungs as far as they allowed her, then slowly exhaled. "Are you sure it'll be a week until I should fight again?" she asked, fearing his answer. "My aura's really strong, at least when it comes to healing. I'm sure it won't be that long."

The doctor moved back to her side and helped her to her feet before answering, "You don't seem to have damaged your ribs too badly, but you should still hold off on anything too physical for a while to insure you don't worsen the them. Another hard blow would most likely still fracture them. Can you try to walk from here to the door? I'll be behind you if need support."

Neo took a few cautious steps before walking normally, the injury not seeming to effect her apart from when she tried to use her upper torso. She turned around after reaching the door to address that doctor, "But the tournament in tomorrow! I have to compete!"

He shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I would strongly advise against it. Even if your aura is incredibly strong like you say, you won't be ready to fight in again that quickly. The damage you could do to yourself isn't worth it."

"Yes it is!" Neo blurted out, looking over at Weiss with teary eyes. She quickly explained why she needed to place so badly, her sentences merging together as she spoke on that brink of hysteria, but the doctor remained adamant. With a sigh, she sat back down on the bed. "Are you going to stop me?"

"Beg your pardon?" the doctor asked, confused at the question.

"Are you going to stop me?" Neo repeated with a bit of a bite in her tone. "Unless you can stop me, I'm still going out there tomorrow."

"He might not," Weiss interjected, moving into Neo's field of view. "But I will, and the rest of your team certainly will too. I won't let you hurt yourself even more, it's not worth it. We'll find another way, I promise."

"LIKE WHAT?" Neo exclaimed, throwing her arms up and immediately recoiling in pain. Weiss rushed to her side and put an arm around her for support. "Weiss, we both know that there's not going to be another opportunity like this. At least, not for a really long time. If I can, I'm fighting tomorrow, and you won't stop me."

Neo's voice was calm and level, but also firm and absolute, and she looked directly into Weiss' eyes as she finished her sentence. Weiss didn't know what to say. On one hand, she didn't want to see Neo get injured any worse than she already was. On the other, she knew Neo was right, the tournament seemed to be their only hope of being able to continue. She also knew that she, and the rest of her team for that matter, wouldn't be able to stop Neo from fighting if she were truly so determined. Weiss shook her head once she made up her mind, knowing that Neo wouldn't be happy with her decision, or with what she had to do.

She sighed, "Then I don't think you leave me any choice." She walked out of the room with the doctor trailing behind her, leaving Neo sitting confused on the bed.

'_What did she mean by that?_' she wondered as she heard a faint conversation from outside. She couldn't make out who was speaking though, apart from Weiss. The other voice was a man, but not the doctor, at least not the one who had just left. It was a deeper, more commanding voice, and Neo's heart sank as she put a face to it. Moments later, Weiss came back into the room, followed by General Ironwood.

"Good afternoon, Neo," he greeted. Neo responded by burying her face in her hands, fully aware of Weiss intended to have done. "I've been informed of your injury, and have been asked to withdraw you from the competition."

"You can't do that!" Neo cried. "I-"

"Enough," he flatly interrupted, and Neo couldn't hold her tears back any more. Again, Weiss came to her side for comfort and support. Ironwood continued, "There's no need to be upset, I have no intention of withdrawing you."

Both girls instantly turned their heads to the general, speaking in unison, "What? Why?" Neo was more stunned than Weiss, surprised not only by the fact that he wasn't listening to Weiss, but more so by the fact that he was taking her side.

He chuckled, "Because it is not my place to. Should you recover enough in time for your match, then you should still be able to compete. However, please don't push yourself beyond what you can safely do. I don't want you see you get seriously hurt."

Neo smiled, wiping her eyes while Weiss sat with her mouth hanging open at Ironwood's decision, "Thank you, sir. I won't get hurt, I promise."

"Good. Now then, I have other matters that I must attend to. Oh, before I go, I should inform you that the raid on the warehouse went perfectly. We recovered incredible amounts of Dust and weapons, as well as capturing a young man who seemed to be leading the White Fang members guarding it. Adam Taurus, I believe his name is. Unfortunately, Cinder and Roman managed to escape, and there was no sign of Emerald or Mercury. I suspect we'll hear from them again soon, but for now, we appear to have the upper hand. Anyway, I wish you both good luck tomorrow."

With that, he left the room, leaving the couple in an awkward silence that lasted about a minute before Weiss finally spoke up. "Adam? Didn't Blake talk about someone named Adam? You don't think...?"

Neo shrugged, "I don't know, maybe we should go ask. If it is, she'll probably want to know. Am I cleared to leave?"

Neo got to her feet with a little help from Weiss, who nodded in acknowledgement of the question, "Yes, the doctor said you're alright to leave. Come on, let's get back to the room."

They checked out of the hospital and started off toward the dorms, all the while Weiss keeping close at Neo's side in case she needed help. Thankfully, the injury didn't effect her ability to walk in any way, and so the journey back was as pleasant one, apart from the slight tension surrounding whether or not Neo would compete tomorrow. It was almost five o'clock when they arrived back at their room. They found the rest of team RWBY, along with team JNPR, waiting there to greet them. Pyrrha was especially glad to see she hadn't done any permanent damage.

Weiss explained what the doctor and Ironwood had said about Neo competing, and finally ended with the result from the attack on the warehouse. Blake was shocked to hear Adam was involved, but secretly she had known it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Weiss sighed, "So, what do you guys think? Neo can't really compete tomorrow, can she?" She was met with a mixture of blank and uneasy stares, no one really knowing what to say.

"I guess we should wait and see how she feels tomorrow," Jaune ventured.

Pyrrha nodded in agreement, "I think that would be best as well. Neo, how're you feeling now?"

"Alright, I guess. My aura is pretty strong, I think I'll be ready," Neo replied, stretching her arms above her head to show how fast she was healing, not visibly showing any pain. It did still hurt a little doing so, but she made sure to keep herself from showing it. "I'll still probably be sore for a while, but I think I'll be able to fight tomorrow. And if not-"

"Then you won't," Weiss sternly interrupted. "You made a promise to Ironwood, and I know you don't want to break it."

Neo sighed, "I know... But you have to promise me that if I say I'm ready to fight, that you won't argue."

Weiss was hesitant, but ultimately gave in. She couldn't resist the sad puppy eyes that Neo wore so well. "Fine. If you say you're ready, I'll believe you."

"Thank you," Neo said with a smile, giving Weiss a quick kiss before turning to address everyone else. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Wanna go get dinner?"

The rest of the evening went by without much excitement, apart from a few food related shenanigans over dinner. Both teams turned in early to be as well rested as possible for the start of matches tomorrow, although Neo found it very difficult to sleep with the anxiety surrounding whether or not she would be able to fight. Luckily for her, snuggling up with Weiss did its usual trick of helping her to forget everything that worried her, and allowed her to get a good night's sleep.

The next morning came arrived at eight o'clock to the sound of Ruby's alarm, which she had triple checked last night to make sure it was set. Neo sat up and lazily stretched, surprised at how little pain she felt in her side. She turned her body a few times to test herself, still not feeling anything too painful. The area around her ribs was still very sore, but apart from that, it appeared that the worst of the injury was healed.

Weiss had taken notice of her girlfriend's movements, and sat up with an expression that was hopeful, but also slightly concerned. "How're you feeling?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Neo grinned and leapt out of the bed, doing a cartwheel to show of her mobility as she landed, "Fantastic! I told you I'd be ready to fight!"

Weiss wasn't entirely convinced, but she couldn't deny that Neo looked infinitely better than she had in the hospital the day before. She sighed, "Well... Alright, if you're sure, but please don't push yourself. We've already seen how that plays out."

Neo smiled and nodded before grabbing her clothes and rushing to get the first shower since the rest of the team had yet to get out of bed. Once everyone had gotten their turn and finished their usual morning preparations, they left for a quick breakfast before heading into town to see the start of the Vytal Festival.

It was a beautiful day to start the festival on. Warm, sunny, not a cloud in the sky. A gentle breeze rolled across the path as the girls descended into town, idly chatting about what events they were most excited for. Blake informed Neo of the dance that would be held after the tournament, and she gave Weiss a hopeful look about the two of them going together. That heiress replied with a light kiss, giving Neo the perfect answer. That is, if she managed to place in the tournament.

Every student at Beacon, and all students visiting from the other kingdoms, as well as many of the townsfolk, had gathered near the centre of the city, facing a raised platform with a podium. On it stood professors Ozpin, Goodwitch, Oobleck, General Ironwood, and a few others Neo didn't recognise. Ozpin said a few words about, culture, unity, and the kingdoms, which everyone else added to, before an older man announced the official start of the festival. Neo didn't pay much attention to them though, her mind was too focused on the tournament, now only a few short hours away.

After a few more speeches, the crowd cheered as a parade began to make its way through the city streets, loudly proclaiming the festival had begun. Neo found she wasn't a fan of all the excessive noise and confetti, although the candy that some of the floats threw around easily grabbed her and Ruby's attention alike. Weiss sighed at how childish Neo could be at times, but seeing how much pressure she was under today, scrambling for sweets wasn't the worst way she could be trying to keep calm.

Matches began a few hours later in the colosseum in the northern part of the city. Normally, this venue was used for major sporting events and professional fighting competitions, and as such it was truly a sight to behold. It held nearly ninety thousand people, and had a centre arena that was just over a one hundred by one hundred yard square. Today, that space had been divided into six smaller areas in the hope of getting through the large volume of matches that had to be held today in a timely man's, just shy of two hundred and fifty.

Neo wasn't fortunate enough to have a by in the first round, so now she waited in the stands with the rest of her team until she received a notification on her scroll to report to the locker room to prepare for her match. She took a deep breath and said a nervous goodbye to her team, who gave her nothing but support as she moved out of the stands and down to change.

'_Alright, here we go,_' she thought as she walked through the tunnels and into the large locker room. '_First match, I can do this. I haven't come this far to lose now, I've got this._'

Her mental pep talk didn't help her as much as she would've liked, and she felt as like she wanted to throw up. She didn't actually need to change into combat gear, since she always fought in her normal clothes, so instead she just stored her purse, scroll, and other amenities in one of the lockers before being ushered out into the arena to take her place for her first match. She found some comfort after picking her teammates out in the stands, along with team JNPR, whom she could see were all cheering for her as she came into view. She could also make out Ozpin and Ironwood looking down at her from their high viewing box, both eager to see how she would perform.

She stepped into the section designated for her match, and finally got a look at her first opponent. Her eyes flew open, _'You have got to be fucking kidding me..._'

Opposite her was probably the largest boy she'd ever seen. He stood easily two and a half feet taller than her, and his physique made him resemble some sort of human-Ursa hybrid. He wore a heavy set of plate armour, each piece adorned with several decorative crests bearing the likeness of a hawk. His weapon was a massive stone warhammer, the thick, rectangular head of which weighed more than Neo herself.

She glanced up at her team, who looked almost as uneasy as she did. Weiss was still cheering her name though, undeterred by the sheer size of the opponent. "You can do it!" Neo managed to read from her lips, and smiled as she turned back to face the giant man.

'_Should've seen this one coming,_' she thought sarcastically as the transition started to take hold. '_Nothing's been easy so far, why start now?_'

Beo leant on her umbrella as the switch finished, gazing across at her opponent with a cocky grin. The referee entered between the two, checking if both were ready to begin the fight. After receiving two nods, he blew his whistle, and the match began.

**Hello hello! Just saw I joined the 100 follower club, and I'm about to pass 10,000 views. Thank you everyone who's read this far, I hope to keep you coming back for more! The tournament is finally underway, and things are definitely going to heat up quickly now. I've got the majority of the arc planned out from here, but I'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to see in the future. Leave a review of what you'd enjoy reading, or of anything I could do to improve my writing she make the story better overall. I'll get back to writing, and I'll see you all next time! **


	12. Chapter 12: Let the Games Begin

**Hi guys! Just passed 10,000 views, so let me start out by saying 10,000 thank you's to all of you for enjoying the story enough to have read this far. I'm glad to have gotten so much positive feedback for this being my first story, and I hope I've been improving along the way. Apart from that, I don't have much else to say. You know the drill by now, leave a review if you've got something you'd like to share with me, blah blah blah. :P Anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

Chapter 12: Let the Games Begin

Beo stood opposite her brute of a first opponent, waiting to see if he would be the first to act in their match. He stood completely still, analysing Beo, while she did the same in return to him. His armour and stature ruled out the possibility of supply overpowering him, and so Beo was forced to think of another way to bring him down. A few ideas came to mind, but first she needed to see how he fought. After about fifteen seconds of stillness, Beo was the first to strut forward, wanting to judge how he'd react to her advancement.

As she neared the centre of the space between them, he suddenly leapt forward, swinging his hammer in a wide arc over his head. Beo had no trouble moving out of the way as the tremendous blow connected with the earth, sending a vibration through the ground that Beo was able to feel, as well as making a boom that rivalled thunder. She took this opportunity to move in and plant a few blows of her own. Her goal now wasn't necessarily to try to deal damage, but more so an attempt to find a weak spot along the armour.

She weaved around the boy's tree trunk like body, throwing experimentary punches and kicks at locations she thought could could be weaker than others. In response, her opponent swung his arm at her, connecting the back of his closed fist with her stomach, effectively swatting her away like a fly. She landed awkwardly, and struggled slightly as she returned to her feet. The blow had completely knocked the wind out of her, as well as making her momentarily she stars in her vision.

_'Holy fuck_,' she thought as she considered what to do next. _'If that's just his fist, I don't even wanna think about what that hammer would feel like. I'd probably be better off getting hit by a truck._'

Now her opponent took the initiative, charging forward with his hammer trailing beside him as he readied it for another attack. He unleashed a series of slow but powerful swings at Beo, who dodged them with ease. Her side felt considerably more sore after taking the hit, but nothing that wasn't manageable. She used this time to search for an opening in the pattern of his swings, eventually finding one she felt was suitable to take advantage of, and continued to avoid the onslaught of attacks coming at her until the opening appeared again. Then, she rushed in.

She ducked under the massive hunk of stone as it collided with the ground again, aiming her strikes at her opponent's off-balance legs. Specifically, she went after his right knee, kicking it from behind and sending him to the ground as he attempted to spin around to face her. She also landed a few quick blows to his head before he landed, then jumped back to stay out of range of his weapon once he stood back up.

The effort of carrying such a large mass that included himself, his weapon, and his armour showed as he got to his feet. He seemed to strain under his own weight, and Beo knew she had found the weakness she had been searching for.

'_Alright, should be easy enough from here. Avoid the hammer, and knock him on his ass. One or two more times seems like it'll put him out. If not, maybe I can just keep dodging and tire him out that way._'

With that strategy in mind, she leapt back into the fight, even more cocky than before. She repeated her moves from last time, adding a bit of flair to her dodging to both show off and try to psych out her opponent. The opening came again, and again she sent the giant crashing to the ground. Beo smirked, and her overconfidence starting to go to her head. Her opponent returned to his feet, taking much longer than last time to do so, and she went in again knowing she only needed one more good knockdown.

However, as much as he looked like just a wall of muscle, this boy knew enough to see what Beo had been exploiting in his style, and now he moved to counter. He went through the same motions as before, letting Beo grow even cockier as she weaved around his strikes, until he arrived at the swing that Beo would move in at. Anticipating this, he readied himself to strike as Beo came in, sure that her victory was at hand. She gasped as she saw the blow coming, but didn't have time to react. The full force of the massive stone hammer slammed into her, sending her flying across the arena until she rolled to a stop.

For about ten seconds, she was completely motionless on the ground. He teammates faces were frozen in horror, fearing that she was unconscious, or worse, that the blow had struck her injured side. Finally, she pulled herself up onto her hands and knees, spitting out a glob of blood from a long gash on her lip caused by a sharp rock during her tumble. She shakily returned to her feet, allowing the rest of her team to breathe a partial sigh of relief. The impact had shaken her up considerably, but her aura managed to take the brunt of the force, which had thankfully been on her non-injured side.

'_Alright, I take it back,_' Beo thought. '_I'd much rather be hit by a truck. Time for plan B._'

Instead of advancing, she went into a defensive stance. Her opponent gave her a quizzical look, as did the rest of team RWBY, who thought that perhaps that hit had messed with her head. She grinned, narrowing her eyes as she waited for the attack she knew would come. Sure enough, the boy charged toward her, unable to think of a way she could avoid him. Now he resembled on oncoming train, the force of which was sure to be the end of the match if it connected. He pulled his hammer back, ready to cleave across the seemingly helpless girl in front of him. He started to swing, and Beo had him right where she wanted him. With a smirk, she activated her semblance.

Her opponent's swing sailed clean through her illusion, meeting no resistance as it did, pulling him completely off balance as it came around. Beo appeared just behind his right leg, and delivered a hard kick to the side of his knee, sending him to the ground with an anguished cry of pain.

"And that's the match!" the referee suddenly called, rushing over to the two and blowing his whistle to prevent any further combat. Sure enough, Beo turned to see his aura flashing red on the scoreboard screen off on the side of the arena. "Our winner, Neapolitan!"

She turned with wide open smile to see her friends cheering her name from their seats, and threw her fist in the air in triumph. She saw Ozpin and Ironwood smiling down at her as well, and she felt as though she were on top of the world. Neo quickly made the transition back to her normal self, and turned back to the giant she had just defeated, who had once more returned to his feet, as walked up beside her.

"That was a good match, congratulations on winning," he said, his voice sounding like a mix between Ren and Cardin, which Neo hadn't expected. She imagined he would have a much deeper, commanding tone, similar to Ironwood.

He extended his hand, which Neo happily shook before running back to locker room to retrieve her things. She rejoined her team a few minutes later, who were all elated to see that not only had she won, but that she was also alright after taking the kinds of blows she had.

"That was amazing!" Weiss cheered, jumping up to give Neo a hug as she returned. Neo responded by giving her girlfriend a passionate kiss on the lips, which was happily reciprocated.

Blake cleared her throat after a moment, "Aren't you supposed to be keeping this a secret right now?" The two froze, eyes meeting mid-kiss with a look of panic. Realising that Blake was right, they instantly separated, both blushing as they took their seats.

It took nearly four hours for the rest of the first round matches to be played out. Weiss went not long after Neo, winning against a boy with a similar style and weapon as her, although his glyphs were not nearly as strong as hers. Blake went around the same time as Pyrrha, both girls winning as expected. Unfortunately Ruby, Ren, Sun, and Scarlett all lost their first match. The only other person in their group of friends who won was Neptune. His was one of the last matches of the day, and he squared off against a tall girl who fought with twin shortswords. It was a very long, very close battle that he eventually emerged victorious from.

All three teams came together afterwards for dinner and to talk about their fights, some of them more happy to discuss it than others. Ruby was especially disappointed, having wanted to show off more of what she was capable of for her age. Neo's match was talked about the most, with everyone taking turns sharing their opinions on her opponents immense size. She was just happy to have won, and hoped that her next match wouldn't be against someone do monolithic.

"So tomorrow you'll each have two matches," Yang said, going over the brackets and round information on her scroll. "Ooo, if Neo and Blake both win their first match, they'll go up against each other."

Neo gave the Faunus girl a nervous look, "Wow, that kinda sucks..."

The table went quiet, feeling the awkwardness surrounding the possibility of the match. On one hand, Neo wanted to have a normal match, but she also desperately wanted to win. If Blake knocked her out of the tournament, she didn't want to think of how Weiss would react, let alone how she'd feel knowing that Blake had effectively ended their relationship.

Blake gave a small smile, "Don't worry, Neo. If it comes to that, I won't stand in the way of you advancing. This is way more important for you than it is for me."

"Are you... saying you're going to throw the match?" Pyrrha asked in surprise. "If an official thinks you're letting her though, they'll disqualify you both. Not to mention that Professor Ozpin will be watching as well, and I know he won't be happy if sees you do that."

Blake shook her head, "I never said I'd throw the match. If Neo wants this, I'm gonna make her work for it. But, I couldn't bring myself to stop you."

Neo was very conflicted. In truth, she did want Blake to just let her win, but didn't like the though of it. She sighed, "No. Blake, I want this to be like any other match. If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose. Promise me you'll try to win?"

The table weren't silent again, looking to Blake for her response. She took a moment to think, but ultimately agreed. Neo could see Weiss' uneasiness with the agreement, knowing fully that losing to Blake would have serious consequences for the team as a whole in the future, but she had to do the right thing.

After dinner, the group spent the remainder of the evening out at the carnival that had been set up for the festival. Jaune's old nickname of "Vomit Boy" came back to haunt him after Ruby and Yang took him on the spinning teacups, which unfortunately made the ride a splash zone for the other riders. Meanwhile, Neo and Weiss stuck to much tamer rides, like the Ferris wheel, which was more just an excuse to have somewhere to make out without anyone seeing. The night progressed, and the group moved on from that rides to the games. Neo managed to win a giant stuffed bear for Weiss from the ring toss booth, despite the heiress' insistence that it was unwinable. Weiss tried to act as if it were too childish to carry the stuffed animal around all night, but couldn't hide how cute she thought it was.

The night ended with a fireworks display in celebration of a successful fist day of the festival, and the group finally split up to return to their respective dorms. Neo collapsed onto her bed the moment they walked through the door, acting too tired to walk the addition ten steps to Weiss'.

Yang smirked, "Why do we even still have a bed for you? You haven't actually slept in it since you and Weiss got together." Neo only shrugged, refusing to remove her face from its buried position in her pillow.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "It's alright, if she doesn't want to sleep together tonight I suppose she can stay-"

"No!" Neo interrupted, quickly jumping over to the heiress' bed. The rest of the team laughed at her panic, even though she knew Weiss was just messing with her. After changing into their nightwear, the two happily snuggled up, enjoying both the warmth and company of the other. Ruby did another triple check of her alarm before turning out the lights and letting everyone get to sleep.

The next morning came a bit later than the previous, which all of the girls were happy about. The alarm rang, bringing them out of their peaceful slumber and forcing them to prepare for the day. Neo wasn't sure if anyone else felt it, but to her there seemed to be an awkward aura surrounding her and Blake as they went about their morning routines. She was still extremely uneasy about the likelihood of them having a match together, and it seemed like perhaps Blake felt that way as well. Regardless, she did her best to ignore it and went about her morning like any other.

The hours flew by amid the commotion and excitement the festival had brought to the city, and it didn't seem like long at all before team RWBY made its way back to the colosseum for the second day of the tournament. With the number of students participating now cut in half after the first round, today would consist of both rounds two and three. Neo was still on edge, but knew that she had to win her next match to even have the chance to fight Blake, and now preparing herself for this match took priority in her head.

Weiss and Pyrrha had their first match at the same time today, only a half hour or so after matches had started. Pyrrha took an easy victory, at least that's how it appeared to Neo up in the stands. On the other hand, Weiss' match lasted much longer. Her opponent, a tall black-haired boy, fought with a style fairly similar to Yang's. He used two black, bladed gauntlets fitted to fire rifle rounds, but the similarities ended there, as his semblance seemed to revolve around wind rather than fire. At the end of the match Weiss stood victorious, though just barely.

Blake's match was held nearly an hour later, and she had no difficulty defeating the girl she was pitted against. Resembling a female version of Jaune, this girl also fought with a sword and shield, though they were much more ornate and brightly coloured than his. The fight ended after only thirty seconds, with Blake knocking the girl's aura into the red after only four quick strikes. The last few matches of the round were being called, and Neo grew more and more anxious with each passing second. She waited for her alert to get ready, but it never came. The current matches finished, and General Ironwood announced that round three would begin in fifteen minutes.

Weiss turned to Neo with a look of confusion, "Hey wait a minute, you didn't have your match." Neo shared her expression, wondering if perhaps they'd just missed her. In a flash, Yang whipped out her scroll to see if there had been a change to the brackets.

"Huh... It says you won your second round match," Yang said, sounding equally as confused as her teammate. "Maybe the guy you were up against forfeited?"

"Or maybe he got hurt," Ruby added. "You should probably go talk to someone though, just to make sure."

Neo nodded and got up from her seat. She moved to the exit of the stands and looked around for someone who looked like they were involved with the tournament. Not seeing anyone obvious, she decided to just go straight to Ozpin and Ironwood. The halls leading through the colosseum were a bit of a maze, but Neo managed to find her way through and up to the viewing area. She knocked on the door, and was met by Professor Ozpin.

"Ah, good afternoon, Neo," he greeted, motioning for her to come into the booth. "I had a feeling we'd be hearing from you. I assume you want to know why you didn't have a match this round?" Neo nodded, and it was the general who gave the answer.

"Unfortunately, your opponent was forced to withdraw due to an illness," he said. "You were given a victory by default, and will advance. I believe you face Miss Belladona now, correct?"

"Y-Yeah..." Neo replied, her feelings on the matter very apparent.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well... Yes and no," she said with a sigh. She wasn't sure if she should elaborate, since it could be bad for both her and Blake if their agreement didn't hold up, but she had to get it off her chest. "Blake essentially told me that she was going to let me win the match, since she wants me to advance. I made her promise not to, but I don't know if she'll keep to her word."

Professor Ozpin gazed over to where the rest of team RWBY sat in the stands, taking a moment to think. "I see..." he said flatly. He didn't sound angry, but Neo could tell he wasn't happy. "James, what are the technicalities involved with this? If Miss Belladona throws the match of her own accord, what are the penalties involved for Neo?"

The general had been pacing, thinking about exactly what Ozpin was asking. He shook his head, "Neo would still advance, but it wouldn't do her any good since she's doing this to give credibility to her name. If Blake truly intends not to win, finding grounds to disqualify her with could make things go over more smoothly, but then I'm still just advancing Neo without a match, and I simply can't do that. I don't know, Oz, this is a very... tricky situation."

"I agree," Ozpin replied before turning back to Neo. "I'm glad you brought this to our attention beforehand. Please tell Miss Belladona that I expect nothing short of a great match from her."

Neo gave a faint smile and nodded before departing. She made her way back to her seat, informing her teammates of why she was advanced, and of Professor Ozpin's comment to Blake. The Faunus girl looked far from pleased that Neo had said something to the headmaster on the matter, but couldn't blame her. A few minutes later matches resumed, and finally the time came that Neo and Blake were called to get ready. They walked together to the locker room, storing their belongings in the same locker before being shown to their sub-arena.

They took their spots at either end, bowing to each other as the official prepared to start the match. Neo swiftly went through her transition, reading herself for what would hopefully be a difficult match. "Ready?" the official asked, looking back and forth at both girls, receiving a nod each. "Begin!"

Blake immediately charged in, giving Beo a run for her money right from the start. Her strikes were deftly placed, each one requiring Beo to dodge more than she normally needed to. The onslaught continued as Blake started to integrate her semblance into the flurry of attacks, forcing Beo to spin at odd angles to be able to dodge and parry in time. A pattern began to emerge similarly as it had during training, and Beo knew exactly the right time to counter.

She waited for the next blow, glancing it off her umbrella, and activated her own semblance, moving a few yards behind Blake, who slashed right through the illusion left behind and fell to ground from the lack of resistance. Beo smirked and took the offensive, performing her usual exuberant style of flips and spins to both attack and avoid possible retaliation. Blake used her semblance to meet Beo in the air mid-flip, grabbing her by the shoulders and attempting to slam her into the ground.

They fell in a tumble that Blake was in control of up until the very end, when Beo quickly shifted to plant her feet before Blake, and used the girl's momentum to fling her over her own shoulder and send her back first onto the floor. The sudden counter and impact had Blake dazed, but only momentarily. She sprung back to her feet and resume her attack, surprising Beo with her sudden burst of speed. Now simply dodging wasn't enough, and Beo was forced to use her umbrella, both open and extended, to be able to avoid taking the hits that continued to come her way.

The duel went back and forth several times between who was attacking and who was defending before both girls eventually took on both roles simultaneously, one blocking while the other countered, then reversing, and repeating. Nearly fifteen minutes passed, and at this point it was a battle of attrition more than anything else. The only way to win seemed to be by exhausting the other, or capitalising on a mistake they would make. Beo was noticeably worn down, her aura much lower than Blake's, and it seemed as though the Faunus girl was going to end her run here.

Blake charged yet again, fully utilising her semblance to attack Beo from every side, seemingly all at once. Beo's heart sank as she put the pattern of strikes that Blake was using now together with what she'd seen her do in training, and realised she was being set up for the finishing blow. She lacked the time needed to use her semblance to escape between slashes, the only thing she could do was to keep blocking until the last hit came. Blake's attacks didn't let up as she neared the end of her sequence, with Beo now extremely off balance and ready to fall.

Blake made a final teleport as she moved to strike, but it was not at all to where Beo suspected. Right now, her back was entirely exposed, and landing a blow there would surely end the match. Instead, Blake reappeared to Beo's left, and Beo was easily able to not only parry the attack, but also grab onto Blake's arm and swing her wide overhead, forcefully slamming her onto the ground with the aid of a mid-air kick.

"That's the match!" the official suddenly called, pulling Beo's attention over you the scoreboard. Sure enough, Blake's aura had dropped to the red. "Our winner, Neapolitan!"

_'Wait, what the fuck?_' Neo thought as she made the switch back. '_Of all the places she could move to, why there? She had me, and she..._' It suddenly clicked in her head what had happened, and she stared stunned at Blake, mouth wide open, before rushing back to the lockers.

She sat down on a bench near the back of the room and started to cry, and it wasn't long before Blake came in to find her. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked with a concerned look, taking a seat beside her sobbing teammate. "Neo, what's wrong?"

"Y-You... You promised..." was all Neo could manage to say.

Blake sighed, "Neo... Please don't be upset. I didn't throw the match, you beat me fair and square. I may have made an obvious mistake at the end that led you to win, but I-"

"SHUT UP!" Neo shrieked, her anger having her on the verge of transitioning again. "You made a promise with me, and you broke it, plain and simple. You should've won, even I knew where you couldn't hit me to win! I can't believe you right now, I'm just... I can't..."

"Neo, please don't be like this," Blake said quietly, her voice sounding very small. "You knew I was going to do it all along. If you really didn't want me to, you would've done something more when you talked to Ozpin. It's too important for you to win, and I refuse to be the person who stands in your way. And besides, I didn't really break my promise. You made me promise that I'd try to win. Try, not succeed. I did exactly as Ozpin said as well, you can't deny that was a great match. Believe me Neo, you did earn this victory, and I know you'll earn another six more."

Neo cocked her head to the side, "Six? I though I only needed five more to place."

"And one more after that to take first. You're an amazing fighter, a great friend, and you deserve to win. I can't take this away from you."

"T-Thanks," Neo replied. She wiped her eyes and looked down at the floor, still upset about the end of the match, but feeling a bit better. "I'm sorry I screamed like that... I know you meant well. You still shouldn't have don't that, though. No matter how much is riding on this for me, I don't want to cheat to win, even if losing means... losing Weiss."

Blake smiled and put a comforting hand on Neo's shoulder, "I could never come between you and Weiss. She'll probably never admit this, but you're easily the best thing that's ever happened to her, and I know you two have a bright future ahead of you. Now come on, let's get back to the team. I bet they're waiting to congratulate you."

"I guess so. Thanks, Blake," Neo smiled back. They returned their seats, and Neo was greeted by the praise Blake had predicted for her. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to realise that Blake had let her win at the end, and she hoped that Ozpin was just as oblivious.

The rest of this round went by fairly quickly now that the number of students had been reduced from the first day. Weiss' match was held not long after Neo's, and she won after a lengthy duel against a taller boy who fought with a broadsword. Once again, Pyrrha seemed to take an effortless victory, making Neo a little jealous of her friend's skill. She did take some comfort in the fact that the only way the two of them could have a match together would be if they both made it to the finals. But that was a long way off even if they both made it that far.

One of the last matches today was Neptune's. He squared off against a girl with machine pistol swords, somewhat resembling Gambol Shroud without the folding action and tether. The match seemed to be in her favour until the very end. The two were about thirty feet apart, and she reached for a new magazine to reload and finish Neptune before he could reach her. She locked in the magazine and readied the gun as Neptune started to charge, but froze in horror when she pulled the trigger and heard only a click. She cocked the gun again, and still nothing. Neptune slammed into her head on, sending her flying and bringing her aura into the red.

"Wait wait wait," Yang said as the referee called the match for Neptune. "Did she forget to load her backup magazines? That seems like a really stupid mistake at this level of competition."

Blake shared her partner's scepticism, "Maybe it was a dud round? But even then it would've been ejected when she cocked it a second time." Team RWBY shared a few looks as they all came to the same theory in their heads as to what had happened, but no one wanted to be the first to say it.

"You don't think..." Ruby cautiously ventured, sounding unsure of herself. She looked back down at Neptune, who was walking back into the locker room with a smug smile after his victory.

Weiss finished her leader's sentence, "That he cheated?" The girls were quiet for a moment. It was a serious accusation to make, but it didn't seem farfetched at all to them that Neptune would try something like that. "I think we need more evidence before we jump to any conclusions. I don't recall seeing anything else like that in his other matches, I'm sure she just forgot to load it."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Yang said, shaking her head as if to get the thoughts out.

The last of the matches ended, and it came with a sigh of relief for the students who were advancing. Tomorrow was Sunday, and no matches would be held in order to let them enjoy the festival and recover their strength. The next three rounds would be held on Monday, which would be followed by another day off.

That then left Wednesday for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and at last the finals. Of all the upcoming dates, Neo found she was most excited for Thursday. Not just because the tournament would be over, but also because it was the day she'd be going to the Vytal Festival Ball with the one person she loved more than anyone else in the world. She knew that she still had a few difficult days ahead of her to earn that privilege, but that didn't seem to dampen her spirits. What she didn't know, was that the biggest things standing in her way weren't the tournament at all.


	13. Chapter 13: One Step Forward

**Hi everyone! So I'll start out by apologizing for how long this chapter took, but having four exams in one week did not leave me much time to write. :P Hopefully this doesn't become a recurring thing, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Pretty sure I failed two out of the four exams, so I may need to devote more of my time to school. Anyway, you're not heart to listen to me whine about college, you're here for the next chapter, so here it is!**

Chapter 13: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

"So what do you guys wanna do today?" Yang cheerfully asked her teammates though a mouthful of sandwich. Today was their first break from matches, and team RWBY intended to use it as a day of relaxation. They'd already gotten off to a good start by not being woken up by an alarm or a whistle, and were now on the middle of eating lunch and making plans for the rest of the day.

Ruby shrugged at her sister, "I dunno, but whatever we decide on, let's make sure it's nothing that involves a lot of work. Or moving. Or physical activity of any kind."

"So... stay in bed all day?" Neo asked with a devious grin. Ruby smiled back and shrugged again, feigning that that hadn't been her idea from the start. Neo turned to Weiss, raising her eyebrows a few times as she did. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Now Ruby turned a deep shade of red as she covered her face with her hands. She groaned, peeking at the couple through her fingers, "Ewwww! Come on, were eating!" Neo and Weiss shared a giggle at their leader's disgust, but didn't continue to torture her after seeing a similar expression from Blake.

Yang rolled her eyes, "Alright, but seriously, what do you wanna do?"

"Well, I guess if you're looking for maximum relaxation, we could all go out to the spa for the afternoon," Weiss eventually suggested. She looked at the rest of her team expecting to see anxious nods of agreement, but instead saw sceptical glances going between them. "What's wrong with a spa day?"

Yang turned to Weiss with an almost sad look, "Isn't the only spa in town, like, hella expensive? None of us have the money to spend on stuff like that."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "You forget, I'm a Schnee. Don't worry about hour much it costs, it's my treat. So what do you say?" The team exchanged a few more looks before agreeing to take Weiss up on her offer. She smiled, "Prefect! I'll call and make our appointments once we finish eating. This is going to be great!"

They finished lunch not long after and returned to their dorm, where Weiss went ahead and had them scheduled in at the spa. She sat down on her bed with Neo after hanging up, giving her a quick kiss as she did. The heiress was acting almost as energetic as Ruby, which her teammates couldn't help but laugh at.

'_Wow, she never gets this excited,_' Neo thought in a mix of happiness and surprise. Of course, she wasn't complaining. She loved to see Weiss forgo her usual properness and act like a normal teenage girl from time to time.

The team departed soon after to get there on time, since the spa was located on the far side of the city. Normal customers had to book an appointment a week in advance to get the time slot they wanted, but Weiss managed to pull a few a strings and reserve a spot for them all in an hour. Instead of walking, the girls took one of the airships to make sure they'd arrive on time. They spent the ride merrily chatting about what treatments they were going to have done, expect for Neo, who was oddly quiet for the short length of the flight.

"Neo, are you okay?" Ruby finally asked as they disembarked. "You look sort of... afraid."

Neo snapped out of her half daydream state and turned to her leader, doing her best not to show how she was feeling. "What? No, I'm feeling fine. Just peachy, see?" she said, faking a big smile that didn't fool anyone.

Yang put her hands on her hips, "Neo, just tell us what's wrong."

"Alright, alright, I'm a little... nervous. I don't like the idea of leaving myself so vulnerable and exposed. Not that I think anything will happen here, I've just had some bad experiences in the past. Plus, I don't really like people touching me to begin with." Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, making Neo giggle. "You're the exception."

The heiress sighed, "Well why didn't you say something before we left? We could've done something else instead."

"I dunno, you guys seemed like you really wanted to go, and I didn't want to be the only person that stopped you. Who knows, maybe I'll enjoy it."

Weiss' expression softened, and she walked over to Neo and gave her a peck on the cheek. "If you don't want to come, you don't have to," she said. "You can go out whenever you want, I'll pay for it. I-"

Neo put a hand up to stop her girlfriend, "Weiss, I'll be fine. Come on, let's get going. We don't want to be late." Weiss still felt bad, but didn't argue any further.

They made the walk from the airport to the salon in good time, with Neo and Weiss walking hand in hand as usual. Neo's grip was a little tighter than normal, which only increased once they came into view of the spa. The woman behind the counter warmly greeted them as they walked inside, and led them down a hallway to the get started. Weiss had already chosen the base packages for each of them on the phone, and the girls were led to separate rooms, except for Weiss and Neo, who were starting with a couples massage.

The masseuses stepped outside to let the two disrobe and get comfortable on the tables underneath their towels. Neo was a little apprehensive, but having Weiss there with her helped to calm her down. The women returned to begin the massage, starting by applying mineral oil to the girl's backs. The feel of it was completely new to Neo, very strange but oddly soothing. It was only a matter of seconds before her adversity to being touched, as well as her anxiety surrounding the massage, melted away under the masseuse's seemingly magical hands.

_'I wonder if Weiss would mind making this a weekly thing,_' Neo thought with a smile as she slipped into a state of pure bliss. '_Because I could really get used to this._'

The massage lasted an hour, which Neo felt wasn't nearly enough. Awards, she and Weiss were led to a large private bath, which they didn't at all mind sharing, the water of which was filled with various oils, salts, aromatics, and what to Neo seemed like anything they could find to make it look fancier. They settled into the warm water, and Neo noticed a sort of smug grin on Weiss' face. "What's that look?" she asked, grinning a bit herself.

Weiss shrugged, "Oh, nothing really. I'm just remembering how scared you were at the airport."

"Oh hush," Neo laughed, sending a playful splash at her girlfriend. Weiss was quick to retaliate, sparking a heated war between the two that Neo was eventually declared the winner of.

Following their bath, the two were reunited with their teammates for a Mani-Pedi, and finally ended their afternoon at the spa getting their hair done. All five of them looked stunning, but Neo couldn't help but feel jealous of how Yang looked. The blonde's golden locks had been curled to absolute perfection, and she seemed to radiate beauty as the team walked back to the airship, turning the head of every single man she passed.

"Hey Weiss, thanks for taking us out," Blake said as the girls took their seats.

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Yeah, thanks. We need to do something nice for you to pay you back. Isn't your birthday coming up soon? I know you said not to throw you a party or anything, but you always take us to such nice places, I feel like we should do something for you."

"I dunno," Yang said with a smirk, turning to her partner. "Blake already gave her the gift of still having a girlfriend. That's gonna be pretty hard to top."

Weiss went to say a snappy comeback, but Neo spoke up before she had the chance. "Hold on, how soon is your birthday?" she asked, feeling bad that somehow the subject hadn't come up yet.

Weiss sighed, "It's on Wednesday. Sorry I didn't tell you, but I hate when people make a big deal out of it. And no, Ruby, you guys don't have to get me anything. Neo winning the tournament will be the only present I need." She turned back to Neo, who looked shocked, but also strangely happy.

"That's incredible!" Neo shouted, turning all of her teammates heads to her. "I hadn't even thought about it, my birthday is on Wednesday too! I can't believe we share a birthday!"

Ruby looked confused, "How do you forget when your own birthday is?"

"Well, Cinder didn't exactly throw us parties," Neo said with a slight chuckle. "Birthdays sort of just came and went since we didn't always watch the dates on the calendar unless there was a reason to. Usually we'd realise a few days afterwards and have a little celebration when there was some down time. But now I can actually do something exciting for it!"

Yang grinned, "You might want to make that a 'we.' How about it, ice queen? You up for a super awesome double birthday party for the two of you?"

Weiss groaned, but couldn't say no to Neo getting to have the party she wanted. "Fine," she huffed, already regretting it from the look of both joy and pure evil coming over Yang's face. "But no presents. Like I said, Neo winning will be all I need."

"Aww, thanks," Neo said, giving Weiss a quick kiss on the lips. "Does that mean twice as many presents for me?" The other girls laughed, and they spent the rest of the flight making plans for the upcoming celebration. Weiss didn't give much input, but Neo had more than enough ideas for both of them.

It was nearly four-thirty by the time they were back on campus, and that left the team once again with the question of what to do. This time however, seeing as they looked the way they did after being at the spa, the decision of going somewhere fancy for dinner wasn't a hard one to make. All that was left was to change into more formal clothes, but that would still leave them with some time to kill before they needed to head back into town. A sudden buzzing on Weiss' scroll made the decision of what she and Neo would be doing for them as the she read the message she'd received.

"It's my dad, he wants us to call," Weiss said as they neared the dorm building, turning up Neo as she did. "I wonder what's wrong, he never calls without a reason."

"Maybe he wants to congratulate you guys on doing well in the tournament so far," Ruby ventured with her usual brand of cheery optimism.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at her leader's positive attitude. She sighed and looked back at Neo, "Come on, let's go to the library and see what he wants."

They made the short walk over and found an empty booth to make the call from. Weiss connected through just as she had last time, and after ringing for a few seconds, her father's face appeared on the screen. "Good evening Weiss, Neo. My my, don't you two look stunning. May I ask what the occasion is?"

Weiss blushed at the compliment, not being used to receiving them from him, "No special occasion really, I took the team out for a spa day to relax from the tournament."

"Ah yes, the tournament," her father said with a smile. "We've been watching the broadcast from home. Your mother, sister, and I that is, and we're all very proud of your performance so far."

"Thank you. So, is that why you wanted us to call?"

Her father's face fell, and he rested his head in hands, "I wish it were. Unfortunately, this has to do with you and Neo. Your mother isn't being quite as... supportive in your choice of lifestyle as I am. She's firmly against you dating another woman, and I've had no luck in persuading her to give you two a chance. We've been fighting very frequently about it."

Neo was taken back by the news. Up until then, she had just assumed that the rest of Weiss' family shared the same beliefs as her father. "Oh..." she said quietly, looking down at her hands.

"That's why I wanted to talk to you both," Weiss' father continued. "While I don't believe it will be easy to change her mind completely, I'm positive there's a way you could find to convince her to simply let it be. Neo, since you've won over all of Beacon so easily, I'd imagine it wouldn't be too great a challenge to do the same here."

Weiss gave a small laugh and turned to her girlfriend, "I think she can do that. Neo does seem to have a way with people."

"Excellent. Perhaps the two of you could come home the weekend after the tournament, give the family a chance to meet Neo in person."

"I'd love to," Neo said without a hesitation. She smiled and looked over at Weiss, "That is, if it's alright with you too."

"Of course it is," Weiss replied before turning back to her father. "I guess we'll see you Saturday then. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

He shook his head, "No, I believe that covers it. I suppose I'll keep this brief and let you two get back to your evening. Good luck tomorrow, we'll be cheering for you both."

The call ended and the couple turned to face each other, both girls thinking of how the coming weekend could play out. "So... how exactly did I win you guys over?" Neo asked. The question had been in her mind for a while, but she never had a reason, or care for that matter, to pry into it.

Weiss took a moment to think, but her expression afterwards showed that she hadn't come up with anything helpful. "I'm not really sure," she said, tapping her fingers on her leg while she thought. "Let's see... Blake came from the same sort of place you did, so of course she wanted to give you a chance. Ruby will go along with anyone, so that doesn't help here. We bonded over dinner, and then you asked me out, but I doubt that will work on my mother. That leaves..."

"Yang," Neo finished. "I've never really thought about it, but out of everyone on the team, she should've hated me the most... How did I get her to change her mind?"

Weiss shrugged, "I'm really not sure. Maybe you can ask her before we go to dinner?"

"I can do that. Let's get back to the dorm then, we still need to change before we can head out."

They swiftly made their way back to the room so they could slip into their most formal attire along with the rest of their teammates. Yang greeted them as they returned, "Hey guys! How'd the call go?"

Weiss sighed, "Alright, I guess. He started by congratulating us on the tournament so far. Then, he said that my mother doesn't approve of Neo and I, so we'll be going home this coming weekend to hopefully change her mind."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Blake said with a frown. "I'm sure it'll all turn out okay, Neo's pretty good at getting people to like her."

"I do my best." Neo smiled. She and Weiss looked through their wardrobe to find something they liked and got changed in the bathroom. All five girls then got to work on their makeup and finally did one last touch up on their hair before getting their purses and moving to the door. Neo pulled Yang aside as the blonde started to walk out, and turned to the rest of the team, "You guys go ahead, I need to talk to Yang quick."

Weiss smiled, "Alright, don't be too long."

The others departed, and Yang turned to Neo with a confused look, "Everything alright?"

"Sort of," Neo replied, sitting down on her bed. "I'm worried I won't be able to get Weiss' mom to approve of me. That's why I wanted to talk to you. When I got here, everyone either had an obvious reason for why they trusted me so easily, or I did something to prove to them that I had changed. That is, everyone expect for you. Out of everyone here, you should've hated me the most, but you didn't, and I don't know why. I guess what I'm asking is why you to trusted me so quickly."

Yang gave a sympathetic smile and sat down next to Neo. She laughed, "Well, I can tell you why, but I don't think it'll do you any good with Mrs. Schnee. You're right that didn't trust you at first, but what changed that was when we had your shoulder fixed at the hospital. You reminded me a lot of Ruby then, with the way I was there to hold your hand while the doctor had to do something unpleasant. For Ruby that was always vaccines, but still. I dunno, as weird as it sounds, I've kinda looked at you like a sort of adopted sister after that. You do remind me of Ruby in a lot of ways, and I guess it's the big sister in me that wanted to help you."

"Huh..." Neo said, taking a moment to let Yang's words sink in. "I've never thought about it like that, but you have acted like a sister to me. The way I can always come to you for advice, or when I just need someone for support."

"I guess that doesn't really help your situation much, huh? If I think of anything that could I'll be sure to let you know."

Neo smiled, "Thanks, Yang. It's funny, I've always wanted a sister."

"I thought you grew up with Emerald and Mercury, didn't you think of them as your siblings?" Yang asked.

"No, not really," Neo replied, shaking her head. She stood up and walked over to look out the window. "We weren't raised as a family. I wouldn't think of Cinder as being my mother either. I don't really know what word I'd use to describe her relationship with me, but with Emerald and Mercury we were no different than friends. Close friends for sure, but not close enough that I'd think of them as my brother and sister."

Neo paused a moment, still looking outside. She sighed and walked back over to Yang, who had also stood up. "Well, we're all your family now," the blonde said with a smile, wrapping an arm around Neo and pulling her in tightly. "Now let's get going, the ice queen won't be happy if we keep her too long."

"Even you have to admit she's gotten a lot less icy since I came here," Neo laughed as the two left the room, locking the door behind them.

Yang shrugged, "Meh, I guess. The nickname still fits though."

They met up with the rest of the team outside the building and started their walk across campus. Again, they took the airship out to get to their destination on time. The restaurant Weiss had chosen put anything she'd taken the team to previously to shame, leaving the rest of her team in awe. The interior looked more like a grand ballroom than a restaurant, it was so spacious and filled with antiquities that none of the girls could even begin to guess the value of. Neo couldn't believe that this was the kind of place Weiss was used to going to on a regular basis, and felt so out of place as she and the rest of her team were escorted to their suite of a table.

"Remember, best behaviour," the heiress said in a hushed but commanding tone after the waiter had left.

Yang rolled her eyes, "Oh lighten up, we won't embarrass you. Too badly." Weiss glared at her blonde teammate, who shrugged and picked up her menu.

All of the girls chose their dinner based on suggestions from Weiss, since none of them were entirely certain of what all the things being offered to them actually were. Even after the dishes had been brought out they still weren't able to identify everything in front of them, but that didn't change that it was delicious. The mall was going smoothly until a deafening burp from Yang brought every pair of eyes in the restaurant to her table. She laughed while Weiss slowly sank down in her chair, her face matching Ruby's hood.

Neo rested her head in her hands, "Yang... Didn't you say you'd behave?" Weiss furiously nodded in agreement with her girlfriend, unable to speak at that moment without it coming out as a scream. Meanwhile Blake and Ruby continued to eat, content to sit back and watch the fireworks about to go off.

The blonde shrugged, wearing a dumb grin as she did, "Nope. I'd never make a promise I can't keep."

Weiss went to speak, but thankfully Neo was fast enough to stop whatever venomous comment she would've yelled. "Calm down, calm down," she said in her most soothing voice while also stroking the heiress' hair. "You can yell all you want once we get back to the room. Let's have a nice rest of the night here, alright?"

Weiss continued to scowl at Yang for another few seconds before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Neo smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek before returning to her plate. The remainder of the evening went just as smoothly as the first half, and after dessert the team made their way back to Beacon to get some sleep before the next day of matches. Neo was relieved to change out of her heels and dress and into her much more soft and comfortable pajamas. Also, snuggling with Weiss was pretty nice too.

The next morning came at its usual time thanks to Ruby's alarm, but surprisingly Neo didn't mind. Despite it being a Monday, she felt more energized than usual, mostly from thought of matches today. The three matches she had would put her in the quarter finals were she to win them all, and knowing that there was only one more day of matches after today should that be the case, she couldn't help but be excited.

As they had the previous days, the girls met up with team JNPR for lunch before making their way to the colosseum. The center ring was set up slightly different to how it had been the last two days. Instead of six sub-arenas, there were only four, each a large square. With the number of fights today being dramatically lower than the previous days, they could finally afford to have fewer matches at a time, both to give students more time to recover between them as well as to give each match more focus than before. Neo wasn't much of a fan of the increased spotlight, and didn't even want to think about what it would be like in the finals with all eyes on her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned her attention to the arena, where matches were getting ready to begin.

Round four of matches went far more smoothly than expected. Not just for Neo, but for Pyrrha, Neptune, and Weiss as well. Both team RWBY and team JNPR paid very close attention during Neptune's match after their accusations the other day, and were hoping they could put their suspicions to rest. Much to their relief, nothing out of the ordinary happened during the match. At the end of the round, the foot of them still competing had won their match without even breaking a sweat. However, the next round didn't go nearly as well.

Weiss' match was one of the first of this round, and it was by far the most brutal match any of her friends had seen in the tournament so far. Weiss' opponent was a fairly large boy with a large waraxe, fitted to fire high-caliber rounds from the head for added momentum. The heiress put up a valiant effort, but the sheer power of her opponent was just too much, and she ultimately lost the match after taking a number of heavy blows to her torso and midsection. Luckily, her aura did its job and she came back to the comforting arms of her teammates with only a few small cuts and bruises.

Pyrrha's fight came not long after, and for the first time in the tournament she was noticeably struggling. Her opponent was a near mirror of herself: The same weapon, armour type, fighting style, everything. They seemed to differ only in the colours they wore. This girl's armour had a sort of snow camouflage look to it, which complimented the icy blue of her hair. The match lasted nearly twenty minutes, with neither girl seeming to make any headway against the other until the very end. The one advantage Pyrrha had was her semblance, and while she didn't want to show it outright, she was able to integrate it subtly enough into her attacks to finally edge out a victory.

Next was Neo's match against an average looking boy with long, black hair. He wielded a longsword that transformed into a heavy crossbow, the bolts for which were tipped with various kinds of dust for different effects. The fight took a turn in his favour right from the start after Beo misjudged the power of the crossbow. Her umbrella proved not to be enough to shield her from the projectile, which exploded on impact. The blast not only launched her across the ground, but also sent the handle of her umbrella straight into her injured side. While her ribs had all but healed by now, that area was still very tender, and the sudden shock of the impact had her seeing stars.

The boy picked up on her injury almost immediately, and focused all of his attacks on her side, hoping to force her to withdraw early. Beo went on the defense to give herself time to study him and catch her breath, and it wasn't long before she found the opportunity she was looking for to strike back. She spun around him in a flourish of kicks, punches, and strikes from her umbrella as the boy tried his best to block her. It didn't take much from there to knock his aura to the red and win the match, but she realised after returning to her seat just how much the hit to her side had hurt her. Nothing felt broken, but she didn't doubt another hard hit could be what finally did it.

That left Neptune as the last member of their friend group to go this round, and much to team RWBY and team JNPR's dismay it went exactly as they hoped it wouldn't. The girl he faced fought with a precision rifle that transformed into grizzly looking spear. The fight went normally enough until a major malfunction during a transformation left her weapon in pieces, forcing the match to be called early for Neptune.

"I can't fucking believe him," Yang growled, her eyes a deep red. Ruby cautiously put a hand on her sister's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, but it was violently shrugged off.

Weiss shook her head, "Yang, you need to calm down. Remember, Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood are watching this as well, along with an entire panel of judges. They know what how to spot people who try to cheat, and if none of them see anything wrong then there's a very slim chance Neptune is actually cheating."

The heiress' argument succeeded in calming Yang for the moment, but only an hour later, just minutes into the last round of matches that day, there wasn't any doubt in Yang's mind that Neptune wasn't fighting fairly. This time his opponent was a boy a few inches taller than himself, fighting with a large sword and shield. The match ended after a blow from Neptune against that shield shattered it and continued to swing through and knock the boy's aura down to the red. There was something very odd about the way it came apart though, at least in Neo's mind. There was no splintered wood or broken metal, just pieces that looked like their could be easily resembled back into their shape. She turned to her team with a worried expression, "Guys... I think he really is cheating..."

"I TOLD YOU!" Yang yelled, unable to contain herself. "That little fuck has been rigging his matches! That's it, I'm going to Ozpin right now."

Blake sighed, "I think I should come with you, just to make sure to don't kill someone along the way." Yang nodded to her partner and the two got up and left without another word.

Pyrrha shook her head, "I can't believe he'd do something like this... He's a perfectly good fighter, he would've done just fine on his own."

"Just fine doesn't win you first place," Jaune said, glaring at Neptune as he walked out of the arena.

Neo's match followed almost immediately after, and unfortunately for her opponent, the anger toward Neptune carried over to Beo and into the fight. Beo's ferocity was almost frightening, and thankfully the official called the match before she could do any serious damage. Pyrrha, on the other hand, seemed very distracted at the start of her fight. It showed in her performance at first, but all of her years training kicked back in almost immediately, and she was able to win her match without too much effort.

The round concluded, and it suddenly sank in for Neo what she had just accomplished. She turned to Weiss with a massive smile, "Holy shit, I'm in the quarter finals! I just need to win two more matches to place!"

"I know! I'm so proud of you!" the heiress cheered, having just come to the same realisation herself. She pulled Neo in and gave her a long kiss on the lips, which was only ended because of a tap on her shoulder by Nora. "I know, I know, we need to be discrete. I can't help myself though, I'm just so happy!"

"Don't celebrate too early," Neo said, shifting to a more serious tone. "I still have to win those matches. I'm up against the best of the best now."

Ruby smiled, "Good thing you're the best of the best of the best!" The rest of the group laughed at the comment, and now started to make their way out of the stands. They met up with Blake and Yang outside, who informed them about the talk they'd had with Ozpin.

"He said that he and Ironwood were looking into it," the blonde said, not sounding pleased. "Basically he said that if Neptune is cheating, he did a really good job covering his tracks. Apparently a good enough job to make them both think he's playing fairly."

Neo shook her head, "I still think he's rigging the matches, but if Ozpin didn't think so, I guess we should take his word. I can't see someone like Neptune outsmarting him." Her friends gave a few reluctant nods, and they pushed the subject off to the side.

The teams stayed in town for another few hours to enjoy the festival, get dinner, and eventually watch the sun set near the docks. Ruby yawned wide and stretched after it dipped below the horizon, turning to her team to see if they shared her tiredness. "You guys ready to head back to the room?" she asked.

"I think so," Blake said, yawning herself as she did. "I'm glad we get to sleep in tomorrow, it's much nicer when our days off of school are actually days off."

Yang laughed, "You're not even in the tournament anymore, every day is a day off for you." The comment earned a middle finger from her partner, only making her laugh harder. "But anyway, I'm down for going back too."

Jaune looked over at his own team, who adjusted to be just as ready to go back as team RWBY did. "I guess we'll head back too, not much else to do now that it's dark out," he said. Both teams started in the direction of campus, expect for Neo and Weiss, who were still leaning on the dock fence and looking out over the water.

"You guys go ahead," Neo said, turning to Weiss with a smile and taking her hand. "We're gonna go for a quick walk. We won't be long, we just need to talk about a few things."

Ruby shrugged, "Alright, have fun!" She and the others continued toward Beacon while Neo and Weiss began their stroll along the boardwalk.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Weiss asked, knowing fully what the answer would be.

Neo sighed, "I know we've talked about it before in theory, but if I lose... what do you think will actually happen for us?" The question had been on her mind for some time now, and with only two matches now between her and placing, the pressure she was under was really starting to get to her.

"I... I don't know," Weiss replied. She looked down at her feet as they walked, not wanting to think about the possibility of losing Neo. "I guess we'll have to find some other way... It's so idiotic that we have to do anything in the first place. We all know you've changed, there's no doubt in anyone's mind about it. But the media... Gah! I hate this!"

Neo snickered at the heiress' short outburst, "You say that like I'm enjoying it." Weiss shot her an unamused look, and the two continued walking. "I'm serious though, what if I don't place? There's no way we could hide our relationship for very long, and I know we won't have another opportunity like this. I'm scared I'm gonna fail..."

Weiss stopped, turned with sympathetic eyes to her girlfriend, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Neo, there's no way you can fail," she said softly, putting the hand that wasn't intertwined with Neo's on the girl's shoulder. "I know you can do this, you just can't let it get to you. Here, let's talk about what happens if you do win. Or rather, when you win."

"I'm glad you gave so much faith in me," Neo said with a smile, her cheeks turning a light red. "So when I win... I guess the first I'll be doing meeting your family... Oh wait, the dance is even before that. That means we'll be able to go and not have to worry about people seeing us together!"

Weiss blushed as well, getting lost in thoughts of the two of them at the dance, and of things beyond. She let out a content sigh, "Do you ever think about... Oh, I dunno..."

Weiss' hesitation made Neo wonder what could be on the heiress' mind that she wouldn't want to say, and she turned to her girlfriend with an intrigued look. "Go on," Neo said. "Do I ever think about what?"

Weiss' whole face was bright red now, and she turned away to hide it along with her growing smile. "Do you ever think about... if we were... hypothetically, in the future... to get ma..."

She trailed off, and Neo's eyes widened as she realised what Weiss was trying to say. "Married...?" she finished quietly, letting the word sink in. "I... I mean, yeah, I've thought about it before... But..."

They both looked away from each other and down at their feet in embarrassment. '_Married..._' Neo thought. '_It feels so weird to even think about that... I mean, we've only been together for a month, not to mention we're both so young... But still... There's no one in the world I'd rather be with... Me and Weiss, married..._'

She turned back to the heiress and put a hand on the girl's cheek to turn her head. "Some day..." Neo said quietly, pulling Weiss in for a soft kiss. "I love you, Weiss."

"I love you too," she replied, kissing back and not wanting to ever stop. They didn't know how long they stood there, lips locked in a passionate embrace, but sadly the moment had to come to an end. "Well... I guess we should get back to the room. It's getting pretty late, and you need to rest."

The street lights came on to illuminate the boardwalk, casting a warm glow over the couple as they walked home. As they neared the main streets of the city, there was a sudden rustling from a pile of crates outside a shop about twenty yards in front of them. A tiny cat hoped out with a fish in its mouth, laying down as it started to nibble on meal.

"OH MY GOD IT'S SO CUTE!" Neo squealed, rushing forward to see if it would stay to let her pet it. To her disappointment, it took off down the alley beside the building, and she pouted as she turned back around. "Aww... I just wanted to-"

She stopped as she looked back and realised that Weiss was no longer behind her. "Weiss? Where'd you go?" Confused, she spun around to see if the heiress had ran up with her, but she was nowhere in sight. Neo went to call out Weiss' name again, but a sudden sharp pain on the back of her head made her crumple onto the ground before she had the chance.

**Oooo dramatic cliffhanger! Gotta love those! ;) Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I promise it won't be two weeks until the next one is posted. As always, let me know what your have to say in the reviews and follow/favourite to stay updated. See you guys next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: Family Reunion

Chapter 14: "Family" Reunion

Neo awoke with a splitting headache and found herself in an unfamiliar dark room. Still a little woozy, she tried to sit up, but fell over after realising her wrists and ankles were bound. The fog in her mind started to clear, and she felt fear begin to creep through her as she took in more of the scene around her. She was in a run down looking office room with a large table in the centre, surrounded by chairs. There were no windows, and only one door on the other side of the room. The only light came from the cracks along the door's frame. There was a whiteboard on one wall, but otherwise the walls were bare. Neo struggled to her knees, straining in the dark to make out anything else the room.

'_Where the hell am I?_' she wondered, trying to remember how she arrived here in the first place. '_Weiss and I were at the docks... Then I saw that cat, and now I'm here. But how did... Wait a minute, where's Weiss?_'

"Weiss...?" she asked weakly, praying she'd get an answer. The room was completely silent, only making her sense of panic that much worse.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Neo was temporarily blinded by the flood of bright light. Her eyes adjusted, and fell upon the two people she dreaded to see the most. "Hey hey kiddo! Long time, no see!" Roman sang as he strutted in alongside Cinder, spinning his cane around his finger.

"Where's Weiss?" Neo asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

Roman cocked his head to the side, "Huh, of all the things you could lead with, that's what you choose? I guess-"

"Enough, Roman," Cinder interrupted, turning to Neo with an evil grin. "The Schnee girl is fine, for now. Depending on how long her father takes to come through with her ransom, that may change."

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!" Neo shrieked, lashing forward only to fall on her face. Roman tried to suppress a laugh, but couldn't hide it. Neo got back to her sitting position, and looked up at Cinder with her most pitiful eyes. "Please don't hurt her..."

Cinder's expression shifted to one much more perplexed. She walked a few steps closer to Neo, and took a seat at one of the chairs around the centre table. "Well, it's good to know your weakness. Anyway, we're in a bit of a strange spot here," she said, tapping her fingers repeatedly on the desk. "I suppose I should start by apologizing for my behaviour the night you left. I lost my temper, and I regret throwing you out like that. I had every intention of finding you the next day to bring you back, but you were so quick to join up with the goodie goodies at Beacon that I didn't have the chance."

"But, now you're here," Roman said happy, sitting down next to Cinder and taking a few puffs from his cigar before continuing. "So, here's the offer we're making you: You come back on as my bodyguard, no hard feelings or anything like that, and we'll let your girl go right now. Whatdya say?"

Neo went to spit a venomous "no" in response, but to her own surprise, she hesitated. '_Wait, am I actually considering it?_' she thought incredulously. '_No, I couldn't... Could I? I'd be leaving everyone behind, letting everyone down, but... I'd be going back to the life I've always known, always loved. Love... No, I can't go back. I could never leave Weiss, never._'

Roman began to impatiently tap his feet, "C'mon kiddo, we haven't got all day."

"No," Neo said flatly, glaring up at her former employer. "I'll never come back to work for you." Roman rolled his eyes and groaned, leaning back in his chair as he did. Cinder only shook her head.

"To bad," she said, standing up and moving to the door with Roman getting up as well to follow her out. "We really could've used you to help finish the operation. Oh well, I suppose you can't have everything."

Neo looked confused, "What do you mean? I thought Ironwood raided the warehouse and got all the dust and weapons back. Didn't he arrest that Adam guy too?"

"You didn't think we kept everything there, did you?" Roman asked rhetorically, grinning widely. "Especially after you left, we knew it was only a matter of time before you'd send that military our way, so we had to move. Take a guess at where we are now... That's right, warehouse number two! The operation is still a go, and unfortunately for you, you won't be on the better side of it."

With that he and Cinder left, closing and locking the door behind them. "Wait, come back!" Neo cried out. There was no response from outside, and she sank to the floor as what was happening fully sank in.

'_No no no, this can't be real,_' she thought, squeezing her eyes shut in the desperate hope that she'd wake up in her bed when they opened again. '_I have to do something, I have to get out of here. But how?_' Her eyes darted around the room, looking for anything she could use to cut her bonds. There were no scissors, knives, broken glass, not even a sharp edge of the table she could attempt to use.

Feeling utterly powerless, she couldn't stop herself as tears started to make their way down her cheeks. There was no clock in the room, and she didn't know how long she had been there crying before a distinct scream of pain pieced the walls of her prison from somewhere else in the compound. Her eyes shot open, and her heart sank. It was Weiss, and there was nothing she could do to stop whatever was happening to her. The wail came again, louder than before, and Neo returned to her knees as a fire began to grow inside her. The transition came over her almost instantly, and she didn't fight it. Beo was in control now, and she wanted blood.

She knocked over one of the chairs, exposing a rougher part of the plastic connecting the base to the wheels. Using it like sandpaper, she vigorously sawed the rope binding her hands against it, eventually making her way through and allowing her to get to the knots that kept her feet together. Weiss' anguished cries continued, cutting into Beo's heart every time she heard them and quickening the pace she attempted to free herself at.

Now finally free of her bonds, she set her eyes on the door. She tried the handle to no avail, not that she expected that to have worked in the first place. She took a few steps back before charging forward and throwing her weight against the door, shoulder first. It bowed slightly, but didn't give. Undeterred, she tried again, but still the door didn't budge. Another few attempts left her out of breath and clutching her shoulder in pain, but she refused to give up.

She stood propped against the door rethinking her strategy when it suddenly opened. A large Faunus stood in the doorway, and he grabbed her by the throat before hurling her across the room. She landed halfway down the length of the table, sliding the rest of the way and falling through the chairs at the other end. She hit her head on the hard floor as she came to a stop, causing stars to flood her vision before it faded to black.

When Neo woke up, she found herself bound more tightly than before, the rope on her hands also preventing her from using her thumbs and index fingers. Looking around, she realised the room had changed as well. The table, chairs, and even the whiteboard had been taken away. She was now left laying in the middle of a completely barren room, with absolutely nothing she use to escape. She also no longer heard her girlfriend's cries, which came as both a relief and a worry. She was relieved that she was no longer being harmed, but felt sick at thinking of how long the torture had gone on for.

A half hour or so passed after she woke up, although Neo couldn't be sure, before she heard someone outside fumbling with the lock. The door opened, and in walked Emerald with a brown paper bag. "Here," she said, emptying its contents out in front of Neo. There was a bottle of water, a bag of chips, and a wrapped sandwich.

"How am I supposed to open any of this?" Neo asked, gesturing to her bindings.

Emerald shrugged, "Not my problem."

She turned and started out the door, but Neo called after her. "Emerald, wait!"

"What now?" she asked angrily, pausing in the doorway. Neo looked down at the floor, sniffing as her tears from before started to make their way back to the surface.

"Please... don't let them hurt Weiss," she begged, not caring how pitiful she sounded. "I know we might be enemies now, but after all we've been though together, please do this for me. I can't stand the though of something happening you her. Please, please don't let them."

She looked up through watery eyes, and saw Emerald staring back at her with a very torn expression. "It's not that simple," she replied, taking a step back into the room. "You know how this goes with ransoms."

Neo shook her head, "I know, I know, but can you at least try? I swear, I'll do anything you want if means she's okay."

"Anything, huh?" Emerald asked with an evil smile. She sat down in front of Neo, eyes pointed up at the ceiling while she took a moment to consider Neo's offer. "I bet Cinder would be very interested to know you said that."

Neo scowled, "Go ahead, tell her. I hope she takes me up on it too, because I mean it. As long as Weiss is safe, I don't care happens to me."

Now Emerald's expression shifted to one more confused then anything else. "You really do mean it, don't you?" she asked, amazed at how different the girl in front of her was from the one she'd known a few months prior.

Neo nodded, "I do. I love her, more than anything, and I'd do whatever it takes to keep her safe." She was surprised to see how conflicted Emerald looked now. In truth, Neo hadn't even expected her to have listened this far, let alone actually consider her request.

Emerald sat in silence for a moment before continuing. "I... I can try. But I don't think Cinder will be too keen on listening," she said, shaking her head. She paused to think again before letting out a muffled yell in frustration. "Gah! Damn it Neo, why'd you have to join them? Cinder was going to take you back, you should've known that! You didn't even wait either, you went straight to them! Why?"

Neo couldn't help but smile, "Well... I didn't really choose to be honest, they sort of chose me." The look Emerald gave her made it clear she needed to explain more, and she started to laugh as she began her tale. "I ran into Yang and Blake on the street the day after I was thrown out. After I told them what happened, they brought me back to Professor Ozpin to see if he'd know what to do with me. I expected him to have me arrested, but instead he offered me a place at Beacon. It's weird, even though all I'd ever known up until then was this life with you guys, Beacon instantly felt like home. I felt like what I was doing had meaning, and that's when I knew I really wanted to change. And then..."

Neo trailed off as a wide smile started to cross her face. Emerald shifted her position on the floor, seeming eager to hear the next part of the story. "And then what?" she asked.

Neo's smile only grew wider, "And then I met Weiss. And after we became a couple, I knew that no matter I do in life, whatever happens, wherever I go, I want it to be with her. I could never leave her. I'll be honest, when Roman offered to bring me back on, I had to think about it. I'm ashamed I had to, but I did. What kept me from saying yes more than anything else was the thought of leaving Weiss behind, and I couldn't do that. She's everything to me."

"Wow..." was all Emerald could say. "I've gotta say, I never thought I'd see you like this. You really have changed, but... in a good way. I-I'm glad you found somewhere you're happy."

Neo gave her a confused look, "Umm... Thanks? I don't understand, you're not angry I didn't want to come back?"

"Not at all," Emerald replied. She stood up and walked over to the door, turning back you Neo once she was in the doorway. "I'll see what I can do," she said with a small smile before closing the door.

'_That was... weird,_' Neo thought. '_I didn't think she'd actually agree to try. And she's not bothered that I refused Roman's offer? And what the hell was with that being happy for me thing? She must be up to something._'

She sighed and looked back down to the lunch she'd been brought. At least, she assumed it was around lunchtime. She was prepared to try to bite through the plastic bottle cap, but stopped in confusion when she laid eyes on the food. The bottle had been opened, the bag of chips as well, and the sandwich was unwrapped.

'_Wait... did Emerald do that?_' Neo wondered. '_I guess she must've done it while I was talking. But, why?_' The question hovered around in her mind for a few minutes, but she couldn't come up with a reasonable answer. Shrugging it off for now, she went to work on her lunch, suddenly realising how hungry she was. Her bindings still made it difficult to eat, but she managed to get through without spilling too much on the floor.

It felt like hours until her cell was visited again, but in reality it was probably something closer to forty-five minutes. She tried to get some sleep during that time since there wasn't much else to do, but her anxiety surrounding Weiss prevented her. The door eventually opened and in walked Cinder with her usual self-assured strut. She gave a mocking bow, "Good afternoon."

Neo wasn't amused. "What do you want?" she snapped, sitting up to address her captor. Cinder sighed and shook her head.

"So rude. Didn't I teach you any manners?" she asked, receiving a scowl from Neo in response. "I see you're not in a joking mood, oh well. Anyway, you may be glad to know that the Schnee girl's ransom has been agreed to be paid. Her father also offered to pay for your safe release, which I find rather... intriguing. We have a meeting scheduled tonight for both of your releases, and I have a feeling it's going to go rather well."

"Yeah, for us," Neo smirked. "Ironwood is going to bring every soldier he has to take you down."

Cinder gasped, acting as though she hadn't considered that. "Oh no! You're right, everything is ruined!" she said, pretending to panic. Returning to her normal composure, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I know he will, and that's exactly what I want. Anyway, that leaves the matter of what to actually do with you and Miss Schnee. My initial thought was just to kill the both of you right now she be done with it, but I feel like I still owe you something for all the years you've been in my service. So, I'll grant you a last request of sorts. Choose wisely."

Neo was shocked to hear that whatever Cinder was planning was so close to coming to fruition. Overshadowing that was the thought of how to escape, with the need to being far more dire now than before. She took a moment to try to come up with a plan, making it look as if it were her decision of what to ask for that was occupying her thoughts. Of course, she knew exactly what she wanted, but needed to buy herself as much time as possible to try to figure a way out.

"I want to see Weiss," she finally said. "Until it's time to... you know... I want to be with her."

Cinder shrugged, "Alright, I'll let you have some alone time with your girl." She turned and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a number of guards. "You kids have fun," she said with a wink before stepping to the side. From behind her, two of the guards came forward with Weiss and tossed her through the doorway. She landed awkwardly a few feet in front of Neo, who rushed to her side as the door was shut and locked.

"Weiss? Weiss, are you alright?" Neo asked, her voice very weak as she looked over the heiress. The girl's clothes were covered in cuts that extended down into the skin beneath them. There were blood stains everywhere, and Neo couldn't stop a pair of tears from coming to her eyes after seeing what Weiss had been through.

Weiss sat up slowly, every movement seeming to cause her pain. "I'm... I'm fine," she said, although her tone and actions weren't very convincing. "It's alright though, my father negotiated our release, we're meeting him tonight to-"

"No we're not," Neo interrupted, shaking her head as she did. "Cinder told me that she's... getting rid of us before then. Whatever she's been planning, this meeting is part of it. She knows Ironwood will be there with the entirety of his military force, and I'm guessing that's when her plan gets put into action."

Weiss stared at Neo in disbelief, but knew she wasn't lying. "So... what do we do?" she asked. "We have to stop her somehow, or at least get out of here so we can warn someone."

"I know, I'm trying to think of a way we can do that, but I've got nothing. I can't use my hands at all with the way these ropes are tied, can you?"

Weiss shook her head, pulling her own hands up so Neo could see that they were bound in the same way. "There's nothing in here we can use?" she asked, looking around to see if there was anything laying around.

"No, after I broke out the first time they stripped this room completely," Neo replied. She groaned and tilted her head back, staring up at the ceiling while she tried to think of another solution, when something caught her eye. "Wait, the lights! They didn't take the bulbs out, maybe we could break them and cut the ropes like that. We need to be quick though, I don't know how long we've got."

They inched their way over to the walls so they could get to their feet, and used each other as support as they hopped underneath the nearest bulb. Neo wasn't tall enough to reach, even when she jumped, which left the job to Weiss. Even then, the heiress wasn't that much taller, and it wasn't long before they were forced to abandon that idea. Now back to square one, they tried brainstorming more ideas, but being devoid of anything they could potentially use, it didn't take long before they both reached the same concussion.

"What about your semblance?" Weiss asked. "Can't you teleport us both through the door?"

Neo shook her head, "No, I have to be able to see where I'll end up. Even then, I can't get very far with another person."

"Well... what about... Fuck!" Weiss stared down at her feet for a few moments, a look of despair coming over her. "We're not getting out of this... are we?" she asked, hoping that Neo still had some trick up her sleeve that she wasn't aware of.

"Weiss..." Neo said faintly, trying her best to stay together. She shook her head and sat down on the floor, with Weiss doing the same. "I-I don't think we are..."

Neither one knew what to say next, and so they sat in the most painful silence they'd ever had for what seemed like an eternity. Weiss let out a long, shaky breath before she finally spoke. "N-Neo... I love you. In case we really d-don't make it out, I want you to know that you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, and I love you more than I ever thought possible."

"I love you too," Neo smiled, wiping away a few tears on her sleeve. "If it weren't for you, I don't think I could've changed as much as I have. I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with at the end..."

She trailed off as what she was saying really sunk in, and they both went quiet again. Without anything else to say, Neo leant in as planted a gentle kiss on Weiss' lips. The heiress kissed her back, putting her arms over Neo's head to keep them from separating. The embrace grew more passionate and more intense with each passing second, until the sound of someone unlocking the door made them both freeze in fear. They slowly turned their heads as the door opened and in walked Emerald. She shut the door behind her, and reached for one of her guns without saying a word.

"Emerald..." Neo said in both disbelief and fear, trying to crawl away as the green-haired girl walked directly toward her. "P-Please, no, not you. Don't do this, you-"

"Shhh..." Emerald interrupted, putting a finger to her lips as she extended the blade of her gun. "Just relax."

Neo stared in horror at the blade as it moved toward her. She tightly shut her eyes as tears began to pour down her face, unable to keep herself together any longer. She heard the sound of the blade slicing through something, but was surprised not to have felt any pain. Cautiously, she opened her eyes to see Emerald looking back at her with an amused smile. Confused, Neo looked down to see what had been cut, and her mouth dropped open she she saw that it was the bindings on her hands.

"I thought a lot about what you told me," Emerald said, making another quick cut on the ropes holding Neo's feet together before moving to do the same to Weiss. "After everything you said about being at home, and having a purpose for what you do... I realised I want that. What we do here is fun and all, but it's so... empty."

Neo and Weiss got to their feet, immediately pulling each other into a hug as they did. Neo smiled and turned to Emerald as they broke the embrace, "Are you saying... you want to come back to Beacon with us?"

Emerald nodded, "I do. I know I won't get the same welcome that you did, but I want to try. Now come on, we don't have long before Cinder realises something's up."

"Hang on a minute," Weiss said with a sceptical expression, looking Emerald up and down. Neo wasn't exactly sure what the heiress intended to say, but didn't think it would be anything good. "First off, when you come to rescue someone, you tell them so BEFORE you walk up to them with your weapon drawn. Second, I can't believe you even have the nerve to come in here and expect me to suddenly forgive you after you stood by and WATCHED during that call to my father. AND THIRD-"

"Not so loud!" Emerald hissed, rushing forward to cover Weiss' mouth with her hands. She looked back through the door to see if anyone had heard, and gave a sigh of relief that they hadn't. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? We can sort this out later, but we need to get moving, right now."

"She's right, we need to go," Neo said, walking up behind Weiss and putting a hand on her shoulder. "And we can trust her. Don't forget how you acted toward me when we first met. You gave me a chance, and I'd say it's turned out pretty well so far."

Weiss sighed, but couldn't deny that Neo was was right. "Fine," she said, extending a hand to Emerald. "Get us out of here in one piece, and I'll consider us even."

"Deal," Emerald happily replied, shaking the heiress' hand. "Come on, let's go get your stuff, it's in a storeroom a few halls down. Just one thing first."

She aimed her gun at the far wall and fired two shots in quick succession. Weiss jumped, not expecting the sudden action, and looked at Emerald as if she'd lost her mind. "Now she'll think it's done," Neo said, making the connection in her head.

"That's right," Emerald replied. She put her gun back in its holster and moved over to the door to peek outside. "Okay, coast is clear. I don't know when someone will come for your 'bodies,' so I don't know how big of a window we have to get out of here. They're in finally preparations right now, so hopefully it'll be a while."

"What exactly is she planning to do?" Neo asked as they started down the hall will Emerald in the lead.

She shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure. After the original plan was scrapped Cinder wouldn't tell anyone anything, especially me and Mercury. More as a precaution than anything, but I guess it worked out since I can't tell you."

"I guess we'll just have to stop her before she can go through with it then," Neo said, grinning wickedly at the thought of getting revenge. They arrived at the storeroom, and Emerald went in first to check that it was empty. She motioned for Weiss and Neo to come, and tossed them their weapons and gear as they came inside.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Emerald said in response to Neo's earlier comment. "There are well over two hundred armed guards here along with Cinder, Roman, and Mercury. There's no way we'd-"

She was cut off by a sudden ear-spitting siren that rang out through the room and down the halls. Emerald froze, and Neo knew something had gone wrong. "What's going on?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.

"They know," she said quickly before scrambling to close the door. "Fuck, we need to hide. Um... quick, get up in the air vent. It won't be long before they find us here."

Neo and Weiss ran to the wall without hesitation and ripped off the cover to the ducts. They crawled inside one at a time, with Emerald coming in last and replacing the cover to hide where they'd gone. She very carefully led them through the maze of ductwork, making sure to remain completely still when she heard the rooms below them being searched. They eventually came out in the basement, since all other paths they'd found had been blocked. It was very dark, which made finding their way around without falling over things very difficult, but would also help to hide them if a search party came down to look for them.

"What is all this?" Weiss asked as they weaved around stacks of crates and boxes.

"Lots of stolen goodies," Emerald replied. "Jewellery, clothes, whatever we could get our hands on when we were bored."

"Ooo speaking of which," Neo said more excitedly than she would've liked, a basket of rings catching her attention off to the side. "I might have to take one of these for myself, it's not like anyone else is gonna use them." She reached into the basket and pulled out one of the nicer rings, marvelling at the diamonds that covered it. Acting nonchalant, she slid it on her finger and put another just like it into her back pocket.

Weiss huffed and went to make a snappy comment, but tripped over something very heavy before she had the chance. She fell forward and through a tall pile of boxes, which Neo guessed were filled with dishes and silverware based on the sounds they made when they shattered on the floor. The noise echoed through the quiet room, and both Neo and Emerald froze as they heard voices coming from the stairwell leading down to them. Neo immediately ran over to help Weiss up and make sure she was alright, while Emerald's eyes darted around in the dark for anything they could use to hide.

"Over here," she said, motioning to a fairly large wooden crate with an open top. Thinking quickly, Neo went to another, smaller crate with a similar width, and brought it over to cover them as they all leapt inside.

The lights came on only seconds after they'd gotten situated and now they kept as still as possible, holding their breaths and hoping they wouldn't be discovered. Neo and Weiss held each other's hand the entire time, their grip tightening whenever someone came near them.

"There's nothing here," one of the men said after ten minutes of searching. "Avus, Joric, stay at the top of the stairs just in case. There's no other way out from down here." They filed back up the stairs, and the girls waited another few minutes afterwards to make sure it was safe before coming back out. Very carefully, they moved the top box and set it down where they'd found it.

After first checking that no guards had stayed down, Emerald then moved over to the base of the stairwell. She peeked around the corner to see if the guards were still stationed at the top. "Shit..." she said under her breath, turning to Neo and Weiss with worry in her eyes. "Guys, we might be in trouble."

"As in we weren't before?" Neo asked sarcastically. Weiss rolled her eyes and gave Neo a light slap on the arm. "Ow, hey!"

The heiress sighed, "I know you're trying to help, but this isn't the time for jokes. Emerald, how many guards did you say there are? Two hundred?" Emerald nodded, and Weiss took a moment to think. "Okay... Two hundred guards, Mercury, Roman, and Cinder against the three of us... I don't think we have much of a chance. Is there another way out from down here?"

Emerald shook her head, "Apart from the way we came, no. I'm trying to think, the closest way out is probably taking a right from the top of the stairs and following that hallway to the cafeteria and out the exit there. But I don't think we can just leave, we need to stop Cinder before she can get the operation underway. Any ideas?"

There was a sort pause, and Neo was the first to come up with a plan she thought would work. "Well... Roman said this is the second warehouse, so there's a ton of dust here, right?" she asked, looking to Emerald who nodded back at her. "Perfect. Is there a way we could set off a container full of red dust crystals? The blast would completely level this place."

"And everything inside it," Weiss added in an uneasy tone. "We could do it, but I don't know if we could get out in time. Unless of course there's something stashed away down here we can use as a remote trigger."

Emerald shrugged, "It's possible, but I doubt it. I can't speak for Mercury, but I always went after more expensive stuff rather than toys and gadgets. But he is a boy, so you never know."

"Joking aside, let's see if we can find something," Weiss said before she very carefully started to open up boxes and look at what they contained.

"Oh sure, it's fine when she does it," Neo grumbled, but got to work looking for something to use as a trigger. After twenty minutes of neither finding anything, or making any headway through the sea of boxes, the girls came back together to think of a new plan. Neo shook her head, "I think we're just gonna have to wing it."

Emerald reluctantly agreed, and they turned to Weiss to get her input. The heiress wore a very troubled expression. "There has to be a better way," she said, not sounding confident about the chosen plan of action. "It's too risky. If we just make a break for it, we'll be out before they know it and then we can warn Ironwood. If he's ready for it he'll be able to handle it, there's no need to try something this crazy."

"Weiss, Cinder was making final preparations an hour ago," Emerald said. She took another quick look up the stairs to confirm they hadn't been heard before continuing. "Whatever she's doing, we haven't got long before it starts. We need to stop her, now."

"She's right," Neo said, putting her hands on Weiss' shoulders and turning her so they faced each other. "We'll be alright, I promise, and I haven't broken a promise yet."

Weiss gave an uneasy smile, but still wasn't convinced. She let out a heavy sigh, "And what if this is where that record ends? I can't lose you Neo, I just can't." She sat down on one of the crates and rested her head in her hands, trying to keep thoughts of what could go wrong from entering her mind. Neo looked away for a moment in thought before sitting down beside her and taking her hand.

"Weiss, I've thought way too much today about what I'd do without you," Neo said shakily, pausing for a few deep breaths before she went on. "I know we've only known each other for just over a month, but I've known from the start that there's no one in this world I'd rather be with than you. I've done a lot of thinking about life, about us, and I realised that for me, there is no life without you. I'll never leave your side until the day I die, be it today, tomorrow, or sixty years from now. And even then, I'd like to see death have the balls to try to stop me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, through whatever life manages to throw at us. I love you..."

Neo trailed off and slowly got up from her seat, but didn't let go of Weiss' hand. The heiress gave her a confused look, which slowly turned to awe as she watched Neo get down on one knee in front of her. Neo then reached behind her and pulled out the other ring she'd taken earlier, blushing as she extended it toward her girlfriend. She took one final deep breath, "Weiss Schnee... will you marry me?"

**Hope you liked the chapter, see you guys next time. ;)**


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